-phile
Origin of -phile
Words nearby -phile
WORDS THAT USE -PHILE
What does -phile mean?
The combining form -phile is used like a suffix meaning “lover of” or “enthusiast of.” It is often used in scientific and everyday terms, especially in biology and psychology.
The form -phile comes from Greek -philos, meaning “dear, beloved.” The Latin translation, cārus, is the source of words such as caress, charity, and cherish.
What are variants of -phile?
In some rare instances in scientific terms, -phile drops its final -e- to become -phil, as in chromophil.
Related to -phile are two other combining forms: -philia and -philiac. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.
Examples of -phile
An example of a word you may have encountered that features -phile is audiophile, “a person who is especially interested in high-fidelity sound reproduction.”
The audio- part of the word probably looks familiar; it has a variety of meanings, including “sound reproduction,” from Latin audīre, meaning “to hear.” The form -phile means “lover of,” so audiophile literally translates to “lover of hearing.”
What are some words that use the combining form -phile?
- atmophile
- bibliophile
- cinephile
- Europhile
- halophile
- homophile
- mesophile
- necrophile
- pedophile (using the equivalent form of -phile in Greek)
What are some other forms that -phile may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The combining form biblio- means “book.” With this in mind, what kind of person is a bibliophile?
How to use -phile in a sentence
They paid visits to the sacred island of Ebo opposite the town, and to the quarries of Phile, four miles away.
The Cat of Bubastes|G. A. Henty