The Greek

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

''-phil-'' originates from the Greek word meaning "love". For example,

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

(along with the Greek root ''-soph-'' meaning "wisdom") is the study of human customs and the significance of life. One of the most common uses of the root ''-phil-'' is with philias. A

philia ''Philia'' (; ) is one of the four ancient Greek words for love, alongside '' storge'', '' agape'' and '' eros''. In Aristotle's ''Nicomachean Ethics'', philia is usually translated as "friendship" or affection. The complete opposite is cal ...

is the

love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

or obsession with a particular thing or subject. The suffix ''-philia'' is used to specify the love or obsession with something more specific. It is somewhat

antonym In lexical semantics, opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is ''even'' entails that it is not ''odd''. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members i ...

ic to '' -phobia''. Philias can be biological (e.g. rhizophilia, preference for living on roots) or chemical (e.g. chromophilous, materials that stain easily), or can be a hobby/liking (e.g. icthyophilia, love for fish). ' () as a Greek word for love refers to brotherly love, including

friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

and affection. This contrasts to the Greek terms

Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

, or sexual/

romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a Interpersonal attraction, strong attraction towards another person, and the Courtship, courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant ...

, and

agape (; ) is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for uman beingsand of uman beingsfor God". This is in contrast to , brotherly love, or , self-love, as it embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists rega ...

, or detached, spiritual love. However, English usage differs in some cases from the etymological use, and several of these words refer in English not to brotherly love but to sexual attraction. The suffix ''-phile'' (or, in a few cases, ''-philiac'') applies to someone who has one of these philia. It is the antonym of ''-phobe''. ''Phil-'' (''philo-'') may also be used as a prefix with a similar meaning.

Words that use ''-phil-''

Biology

* Acidophilia: preference of acidic conditions * Alkaliphilia: preference of alkaline environments * Anthophilia: attraction to flowers * Anthropophile: attracted to humans (e.g., parasites) *

Anemophily Anemophily or wind pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind. Almost all gymnosperms are anemophilous, as are many plants in the order Poales, including grasses, sedges, and rushes. Other common anemophilous ...

: a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind * Capnophile: microorganism that thrives in the presence of high concentrations of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

* Cryophilia: preference for cold environments, climates, objects and low temperatures; e.g., '' Protea cryophila'' (Snow Protea) * Dacryphilia: attraction to tears * Dendrophilia: preference of trees or other plants * Entomophilous: adapted for pollination by insects * Extremophilia: preference of living extremal conditions for some microorganisms * Geophilia: preferring to organisms that prefer the soil * Halophilia: attraction to salt or salt-water * Heliophilia: attraction to sunlight * Hydrophilia: attraction to water * Hyperthermophilia: organisms that thrive in extremely hot environments * Limnophilia: preference of ponds or marshes * Lithophilia: preference or affinity to stones * Mesophilia: preference of moderate temperatures in microorganisms * Microaerophilia: organisms that can tolerate or require environments containing low levels of oxygen * Myrmecophilia: love for the ants * Nemophilia: love of the woods and forests *

Necrophilia Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction or acts involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ''International ...

: an attraction to the dead * Neutrophile: organism that thrives in a neutral pH environment * Nyctophilia: an attraction to darkness or night; finding relaxation or comfort in the darkness. Preferring nighttime activities to daytime activities * Ombrophilia: affinity to large amounts of rainfall * Petrophilia: preference of living or spending time in rocky areas * Photophilia: preference of living or spending time in lighted conditions * Pluviophilia: affinity to rain * Psammophile: a plant loving sandy areas * Psychrophilia: preference of cold temperatures * Rheophilia: preference of living in running water * Sciaphilia: preference of living in shady or dark areas (as opposed to photophilia) * Thermophilia: love of high temperatures; thriving in high temperatures (e.g. microbes) * Tropophilia: preference of seasonal extremes of climate * Trichophilia: an attraction to hair or fur * Xenophilia: an affection for unknown, foreign objects, or people * Xerophilia: love of living or spending time in very dry conditions * Xylophilia: love of wood * Zoophily: a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by animals

Chemistry and physics

Electrophile In chemistry, an electrophile is a chemical species that forms bonds with nucleophiles by accepting an electron pair. Because electrophiles accept electrons, they are Lewis acids. Most electrophiles are positively Electric charge, charged, have an ...

: a chemical species that forms bonds with nucleophiles by accepting a pair of electrons *

Hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are n ...

: (of a substance) having a tendency to interact with or be dissolved by water and other polar substances *

Lipophilic Lipophilicity (from Greek language, Greek λίπος "fat" and :wikt:φίλος, φίλος "friendly") is the ability of a chemical compound to dissolve in fats, oils, lipids, and non-polar solvents such as hexane or toluene. Such compounds are c ...

: solubility or solvability of a substance with lipids *

: (of a substance) in microfluidics, enriching on channel walls instead of in the middle of the channels (e.g. air bubbles) *

Nucleophile In chemistry, a nucleophile is a chemical species that forms bonds by donating an electron pair. All molecules and ions with a free pair of electrons or at least one pi bond can act as nucleophiles. Because nucleophiles donate electrons, they are ...

: a chemical species that donates an electron pair to form a chemical bond. Antonym: electrophile

Hobbies

* Audiophilia: love of high-fidelity sound reproduction * Arctophilia: love of

teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...

s; especially, an interest in collecting teddy bears * Bibliophilia: love of books * Cartophilia: love of

map A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...

s *

Cinephilia Cinephilia ( ; also cinemaphilia or filmophilia) is the term used to refer to a passionate interest in films, film theory, and film criticism. The term is a portmanteau of the words '' cinema'' and '' philia'', one of the four ancient Greek words ...

: love of cinema and film *

Philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...

: the study of stamps and postal history and other related items * Glossophilia: love of languages (synonym for

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

) * Logophilia: love of words — logophiles may be interested in word games, such as crosswords, or Scrabble, and in the extreme, derive enjoyment from reading things commonly given less notice, such as labels * Metrophilia: love of the metro rail or subway systems * Neophilia: love of the latest novelties and trends * Oenophilia: love of wine * Ornithophilia: love of birds * Taphophilia: love of graves, cemeteries and funerals * Technophilia: love of technology *

Videophile A videophile is one who is concerned with achieving high-quality results in the recording and playback of movies, TV programs, and other means of visual media. Criteria Similar to audiophile values, videophile values may be applied at all stages ...

: person who is concerned with achieving high-quality results in the recording and playback of movies, TV programs, etc

National or ethnic

* Anglophile: a non-English person who is extremely fond of all things English. Antonym: Anglophobe * Australophile: a fan of Australian culture * Austrophile: a fan of Austrian culture * Europhile: a person who wants to increase cooperation between governments within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Antonym: Eurosceptic * Fennophile: a fan of Finnish culture *

Francophile A Francophile is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, History of France, French history, Culture of France, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, lang ...

or Gallophile: a fan of French culture. Antonym: Francophobe * Germanophile or Teutophile: a fan of German culture. Antonyms: Germanophobe and teutophobia * Hellenophile: a fan of Greek culture (i.e. someone prone to philhellenism) * Hibernophile: a lover of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Irish culture The culture of Ireland includes the Irish art, art, Music of Ireland, music, Irish dance, dance, Irish mythology, folklore, Irish clothing, traditional clothing, Irish language, language, Irish literature, literature, Irish cuisine, cuisine ...

* Indophile: a fan of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* Italophile: a fan of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Antonym: Italophobia * Japanophile: a non-Japanese person with a strong interest in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Japanese culture Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...

. Antonym: Japanophobe * Judeophile: a lover of

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not simply a faith-based religion, but an orthopraxy and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, ...

. Antonyms: Judeophobe and

antisemite Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

* Kartvelophile: an interest for Georgian culture *

Negrophilia The word ''negrophilia'' is derived from the French ''négrophilie'' that means "love of the Negro". It was a term that avant-garde artists used among themselves to describe their fetishization of Black cultures. Its origins were concurrent wi ...

: a term used in the 1920s and 30s for the interest in Europe for African and African-American culture * Persophilia: a fan of Iranian culture * Russophilia: love of Russia and Russians. Antonym: Russophobe ** Galician Russophilia was a pro-Russian movement in Galicia and Lodomeria in the late 19th Century * Sinophile: a non-Chinese person with a strong interest in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...

. Antonym: Sinophobe * Slavophile: a fan of Slavic culture * Suecophile: someone with a great interest in the Swedish language and culture * Turkophile: a fan of Turkey and Turkish culture

Sexual paraphilias

* List of paraphilias *

Paraphilia A paraphilia is an experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, places, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a legally consenting human ...

(previously known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. Such attraction may be labeled

sexual fetishism Sexual fetishism is a sexual fixation on an object or a body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has a fetish is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regarded as a mental disorder if it causes significant psychoso ...

Other

* Biophilia hypothesis * Erotophilia: a personality trait which assesses an individual's disposition to respond to sexual cues * Haemophilia: a disease relating to blood clotting *

Homophile Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been '' sodomite'', '' Sapphic'', '' Uranian or Urning'', '' homop ...

: a term used to refer to gay people or those who supported

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

, prior to

gay liberation The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s in the Western world, that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoff ...

and other

LGBT social movements Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBTQ people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBTQ people and their ...

. It was proposed as an alternative to homosexual, that would have a more positive connotation, before the word "gay" became dedicated for this purpose * Pluviophile: love of the rain * Retrophilia: love of things of the past * Theophilia: love of a god * Topophilia: a strong sense of place, which often becomes mixed with the sense of

cultural identity Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity (social science), identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, Locality (settlement), locality, gender, o ...

among certain people and a love of certain aspects of such a place

Words that start with ''phil-''

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

* Philanderer * Philandry *

Philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

* Philhellenism: the love of Greek culture (this may also be called hellenophilia) *

Philogyny Philogyny is love of, admiration for, or respect for women or girls. It is the antonym of ''misogyny''. It is a form of philanthropy and philosophy that empowers and celebrates women at an equal status as men, thus dismantling the social roles ...

Philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

* Philomath *

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

* Phillumenism *

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...