philo-, phil-, -phile, -philia, -philic, -philous, -phily, -philiac, -philist, -philism
(Greek: love, loving, friendly to, fondness for, attraction to; strong tendency toward, affinity for)
These are just a few of the meanings set up for the etymological meanings of philo- which comes to us from Greek.
In biology, there are many words that use philo-, phil- to mean "thriving in such and such a place or situation; or exhibiting a tendency for a specified condition" for its existence.
Other meanings include: "strongly attracted to; such as, an organism that loves or is strongly attracted to something which is specified".
In psychology and psychiatry, -phile, -philia, etc. use this element as a word termination indicating an abnormal craving or attraction to or an affinity for an object as shown by the word stems to which they are affixed.
Someone who has a love of, or a fondness for pigeons: Rob had a cousin who thought pigeons were fascinating, and he had many of his own which he kept in a loft above his home.
A creatures which prefers to live in areas with stones or boulders: There are conditions when scorpions are petrochthophiles because they are lithophilic or rock-loving creatures, so they inhabit many geographic regions.
petrochthophilous (adjective), more petrochthophilous, most petrochthophilous
In biology, a reference to creatures that thrive on rock-banks: The petrochthophilous Eurasian eagle owl is a bird of prey that breeds on rocky cliff ledges.
An organism which lives in stony or craggy environments: The main habitat of the wild yak, which is a petrochthophily, is in treeless regions between 3,000 and 5,500 meters (9,800 and 18,000 ft).
An organism that subsists in an area or clearing of stones or boulders: Petrodophiles, such as the alpine azaleas, populate high mountainous regions of North America and are low-growing plants.
petrodophilous (adjective), more petrodophilous, most petrodophilous
In biology, relating to animals and plants that thrive in boulders and other rocky environments: The petrodophilous rock chuck, or ground squirrel, lives above 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) and protects itself on rocky slopes where there are many crevices to find shelter from surprise attacks.
A plant or an animal which prospers in areas with stones or boulders: The biology class went on a field trip to the Mojave Desert where they were able to see a chuckwalla lizard, a petrodophily, which was protecting itself by being wedged securely in the crevice of a rock.
An evergreen shrub (of the family Proteaceae) found in Australia, New South Wales and Queensland: The petrophiles, usually known as conebushes, have prickly leafage and yellow or pink flowers which then produce gray, conical fruits.
petrophilous (adjective), more petrophilous, most petrophilous
In biology, descriptive of something that thrives on rocks or in stony habitats: Most species of rattlesnakes found in the Mojave Desert live among the open, rocky areas, often hiding out of the sun in the cracks of boulders.
The situation of an organism living in areas with stones or in lapideous regions: In an article about petrophily, Joe read that chuckwallas are rock-dwelling creatures, vegetarians and feed on leaves, flowers and fruits of any desert plants.
A collector of surrealist items: A phantasophilist likes objects that are unusual or which are seemingly impossible as we know them in natural situations.
The fondness of surrealist objects: At the museum, Jean viewed many interesting, odd, queer, and grotesque items that she had never seen before. She found out that this was one of the aspects of phantasophily.
phellophilous (adjective), more phellophilous, most phellophilous
In biology, referring to life forms dwelling in stony fields: Such phellophilous plants are drought-tolerant ones, like lavender and euphorbias.
phengophilous (adjective), more phengophilous, most phengophilous
In biology, pertaining to an organism that thrive in, or has an affinity for light: The varieties of phengophilous cactus plants in the greenhouse were growing very well in the hot sunshine.
Philadelphia (proper noun)
1. An ancient city of Asia Minor northeast of the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan: As the chief city of the Ammonites, it was enlarged and embellished by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.) and named in honor of him. Amman, the capital of Jordan, is now on the site.
2. The largest city of Pennsylvania, in the southeast part of the state on the Delaware River; City of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia was founded as a Quaker colony by William Penn in 1681 on the site of an earlier Swedish settlement.
2. The largest city of Pennsylvania, in the southeast part of the state on the Delaware River; City of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia was founded as a Quaker colony by William Penn in 1681 on the site of an earlier Swedish settlement.
The First and Second Continental Congresses (1774 and 1775-1776) and the Constitutional Convention (1787) met in the city, which served as the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800.
You may take a self-scoring quiz over some of the words in this section by just clicking this Philo Quiz #1 link.Related "love, fondness" units: agape-; amat-; vener-; venus.
