The Greek root "-Phil-" originates from the Greek word meaning "love". For example, Philosophy (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 is the

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

obsession Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Fixation (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Idée fixe (psychology), a p ...

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 ''long'' entails that it is not ''short''. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members ...

ic to

-phobia The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (from Greek φόβος ''phobos'', "fear") occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, abnormal, unwarranted, persistent, or disabling fear as a mental dis ...

. 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). ''Philia'' () as a Greek word for love refers to brotherly love, including

friendship Friendship is a 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. In some cultures, the concept of ...

and

affection Affection or fondness is a " disposition or state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning emotion, disease, influence, and s ...

. This contrasts to the Greek terms

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the e ...

, or sexual/

romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Encycl ...

, and

agape In Christianity, agape (; ) is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God". This is in contrast to philia, brotherly love, or philautia, self-love, as it embraces a deep and profound sacrificial love ...

, or detached, spiritual love. However, English usage differs in some cases from the eytmological 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

-phobic The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (from Greek φόβος ''phobos'', "fear") occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, abnormal, unwarranted, persistent, or disabling fear as a mental diso ...

. Phil- (philo-) may also be used as a prefix with a similar meaning.

Biology

* Acidophilia - preference of acidic conditions. *

Alkaliphilia Alkaliphiles are a class of extremophilic microbes capable of survival in alkaline ( pH roughly 8.5–11) environments, growing optimally around a pH of 10. These bacteria can be further categorized as obligate alkaliphiles (those that require high ...

- 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 anemophilou ...

: a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind *

Capnophile Capnophiles are microorganisms that thrive in the presence of high concentrations of carbon dioxide (). Some capnophiles may have a metabolic requirement for carbon dioxide, while others merely compete more successfully for resources under thes ...

: microorganism that thrives in the presence of high concentrations of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

Cryophilia Psychrophiles or cryophiles (adj. ''psychrophilic'' or ''cryophilic'') are extremophilic organisms that are capable of growth and reproduction in low temperatures, ranging from to . They have an optimal growth temperature at . They are found in ...

- 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 Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, some ...

: adapted for pollination by insects *

Extremophilia An extremophile (from Latin ' meaning "extreme" and Greek ' () meaning "love") is an organism that is able to live (or in some cases thrive) in extreme environments, i.e. environments that make survival challenging such as due to extreme temper ...

- preference of living extremal conditions for some microorganisms *

Geophilia Geophilic means soil loving or preferring the soil. This term is usually used when referring to certain types of fungi or molds that live in the soil. Many of these organisms are usually recovered from the soil but occasionally infect humans and ...

- preferring to organisms that prefer the soil *

Halophilia The halophiles, named after the Greek word for "salt-loving", are extremophiles that thrive in high salt concentrations. While most halophiles are classified into the domain Archaea, there are also bacterial halophiles and some eukaryotic species, ...

- 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 Lithophiles are micro-organisms that can live within the pore interstices of sedimentary and even fractured igneous rocks to depths of several kilometers. Some are known to live on surface rocks, and make use of photosynthesis for energy. Thos ...

- preference or affinity to stones * Mesophilia - preference of moderate temperatures in microorganisms *

Microaerophilia A microaerophile is a microorganism that requires environments containing lower levels of dioxygen than that are present in the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere (i.e. < 21% O₂; typically 2–10% O₂) for optimal growth.

- 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 towards or a sexual act involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ' ...

- 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 psammophile is a plant or animal that prefers or thrives in sandy areas. Plant psammophiles are also known as psammophytes. They thrive in places such as the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , ...

- a plant loving sandy areas *

Psychrophilia Psychrophiles or cryophiles (adj. ''psychrophilic'' or ''cryophilic'') are extremophilic organisms that are capable of growth and reproduction in low temperatures, ranging from to . They have an optimal growth temperature at . They are found in ...

- 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 Hair fetishism, also known as hair partialism and trichophilia, is a partialism in which a person sees hair most commonly, head hair as particularly erotic and sexually arousing. Arousal may occur from seeing or touching hair, whether head hai ...

: an attraction to hair or fur *

Vorarephilia Vorarephilia (often shortened to vore) is a paraphilia characterized by the erotic desire to be consumed by, or sometimes to personally consume, another person or creature, or an erotic attraction to the process of eating in general practice. ...

: sexual attraction to being eaten by or eating humans *

Xenophilia Xenophilia or xenophily is the love for, attraction to, or appreciation of foreign people, manners, customs, or cultures. It is the antonym of xenophobia or xenophoby. The word is a modern coinage from the Greek "xenos" () (stranger, unknown, fo ...

: an affection for unknown, foreign objects, or people. *Xerophilia: love of living or spending time in very dry conditions *Xylophilia: love of wood *

Zoophily Zoophily, or zoogamy, is a form of pollination whereby pollen is transferred by animals, usually by invertebrates but in some cases vertebrates, particularly birds and bats, but also by other animals. Zoophilous species frequently have evolved ...

: 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 charged, have an atom that ca ...

: 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 ...

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

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

: 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 a ...

: 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 is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy be ...

s; especially, an interest in collecting teddy bears *

Bibliophilia Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

: love of books * Cartophilia: love of maps *

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 for love. ...

: 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. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is pos ...

: 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 and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

) *

Logophilia {{Short pages monitor *

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. Etymology The word is derived from the Latin word '' Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frie ...

: a non-English person who is extremely fond of all things

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

. Antonym: Anglophobe * Australophile: a fan of Australian culture *

Austrophile An Austrophile is somebody who is fond of Austrian culture and Austria in general but not born there. Historically it could be applied to the wider Austrian Empire, but since 1918, it has applied to the more limited boundaries of the modern nation ...

: a fan of Austrian culture *Celtophile: a fan of Celtic culture * Europhile: a person who wants to increase cooperation between governments within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

. Antonym:

Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...

* Fennophile: a fan of Finnish culture *

Francophile A Francophile, also known as Gallophile, 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 i ...

or Gallophile: a fan of French culture. Antonym:

Francophobe Anti-French sentiment (Francophobia or Gallophobia) is fear or antagonism of France, the French people, French culture, the French government or the Francophonie (set of political entities that use French as an official language or whose French-s ...

Germanophile A Germanophile, Teutonophile, or Teutophile is a person who is fond of German culture, German people and Germany in general, or who exhibits German patriotism in spite of not being either an ethnic German or a German citizen. The love of the ''Ge ...

or Teutophile: a fan of German culture. Antonyms:

Germanophobe Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began w ...

and teutophobia *

Hellenophile Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Gree ...

: a fan of Greek culture (i.e. someone prone to

philhellenism Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek ...

) *

Hibernophile A Hibernophile is a person who is fond of Irish culture, Irish language and Ireland in general. Its antonym is Hibernophobe. The word originates from "Hibernia", the word used by the ancient Romans to refer to Ireland. The term is often used in p ...

: a lover of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Irish culture The culture of Ireland includes language, literature, music, art, folklore, cuisine, and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, Irish culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland). ...

*Hispanophile: a lover of Spanish (Spain) culture and people * Indophile: a fan of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Italophile Italophilia is the admiration, appreciation or emulation of Italy, its people, ideals, civilization, and culture. Its opposite is Italophobia. The extent to which Italian civilization has shaped Western civilization and, by extension, the civi ...

: a fan of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Antonym: Italophobia *

Japanophile Japanophilia is the philia of Japanese culture, people and history. In Japanese, the term for Japanophile is , with "" equivalent to the English prefix 'pro-' and "", meaning "Japan" (as in the word for Japan ). The term was first used as ear ...

: a non-Japanese person with a strong interest in Japan or

Japanese culture The culture of Japan 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. Historical overview The ance ...

. Antonym:

Japanophobe Anti-Japanese sentiment (also called Japanophobia, Nipponophobia and anti-Japanism) involves the hatred or fear of anything which is Japanese, be it its culture or its people. Its opposite is Japanophilia. Overview Anti-Japanese sentim ...

* Judeophile: a lover of

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

or Jewish culture. Antonyms: Judeophobe and

antisemite Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

* 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 amongst themselves to describe their fetishization of Black culture. Its origins were concurrent w ...

: a term used in the 1920s and 30s for the interest in Europe for African and African-American culture *

Russophilia Russophilia (literally love of Russia or Russians) is admiration and fondness of Russia (including the era of the Soviet Union and/or the Russian Empire), Russian history and Russian culture. The antonym is Russophobia. In the 19th Century, ...

: love of Russia and Russians. Antonym:

Russophobe Anti-Russian sentiment, commonly referred to as Russophobia, is dislike or fear of Russia, the Russians, Russian culture. or Russian policy. The Collins English Dictionary defines it as intense and often irrational hatred of Russia. It is the o ...

* Sinophile: a non-Chinese person with a strong interest in China or

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

. Antonym: Sinophobe *

Slavophile Slavophilia (russian: Славянофильство) was an intellectual movement originating from the 19th century that wanted the Russian Empire to be developed on the basis of values and institutions derived from Russia's early history. Slavoph ...

: a fan of Slavic culture * Suecophile: someone with a great interest in the Swedish language and culture

Sexual paraphilias

List of paraphilias Paraphilias are sexual interests in objects, situations, or individuals that are atypical. The American Psychiatric Association, in its ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition'' (DSM), draws a distinction between paraphilias (which i ...

Paraphilia Paraphilia (previously known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as sexual interest in anything o ...

(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 or erotic fetishism is a sexual fixation on a nonliving object or nongenital body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has ''a fetish'' for that object is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regard ...

Other

Biophilia hypothesis The biophilia hypothesis (also called BET) suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, ''Biophilia'' (1984). He d ...

Erotophilia Erotophilia is a personality trait which assesses an individual's disposition to respond to sexual cues in either a positive or negative manner. It is measured on a continuous scale, ranging from ''erotophobia'' to ''erotophilia''.Fisher, W. A., By ...

: a personality trait which assesses an individual's disposition to respond to sexual cues *

Haemophilia Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising ...

: 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, Achillean, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbia ...

: a term used to refer to

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

people or those who supported

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

, prior to

gay liberation The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xii ...

and other

LGBT social movements Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in ...

. 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 God can mean either love for God or love by God. Love for God (''philotheia'') is associated with the concepts of worship, and devotions towards God. The Greek term ''theophilia'' means the love or favour of God, and ''theophilos'' mea ...

: love of a god *

Topophilia Topophilia (From Greek ''topos'' "place" and ''-philia'', "love of") is a strong sense of place, which often becomes mixed with the sense of cultural identity among certain people and a love of certain aspects of such a place. History of the term ...

: 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, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct cu ...

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

Prefix ''phil-''

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

* *

Philanderer Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

* Philandry *

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

Philhellenism Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek ...

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

Philogyny Philogyny is fondness, love, or admiration towards women. Its antonym is ''misogyny''. Philogyny is not to be confused with gynephilia, which is sexual attraction to women or femininity. One of the earliest examples of philogyny is the poet Sa ...

Philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

Philomath A philomath () is a lover of learning and studying. The term is from Greek (; "beloved", "loving", as in philosophy or philanthropy) and , (, ; "to learn", as in polymath). Philomathy is similar to, but distinguished from, philosophy in that ...