philo-, phil-, -phile, -philia, -philic, -philous, -phily, -philiac, -philist, -philism

A person who loves to forget: Mary's parents thought that their daughter, Kitty, was a philalethe because she was scatty, silly, absent-minded, dreamy, and didn't know where the things she needed were at all.

A lover of, or a fondness for truth: Tom's grandmother certainly was a philalethist because she always knew when he wasn’t being honest as a child, so she put a great amount of emphasis on being truthful and sincere herself and expected this from others as well. © ALL rights are reserved.

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To carry on an affair, or many affairs, especially an extramarital affair with a woman one cannot or does not intend to marry: In the story Ruth was reading, the protagonist flirted and philandered with the pretty girls he met at different parties.

A person, usually a man, who is a fickle lover: Sam turned out to be a philanderer who enjoyed flirting and coquetting with glamorous women he met at clubs in the city.

Philanderer actually means "a lover of men" or of "one's husband", but a mistake was made in the adoption from the Greek and a different meaning was applied (according to David Muschell).

Of, relating to, or marked by humanitarianism: After Virginia's father retired from teaching, he decided to help people who were illiterate by tutoring them in his home, and he also decided to organize and to provide a beautiful garden for the blind because he was a philanthropic person who was always trying to help those in need. © ALL rights are reserved.
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Concerning the love of mankind; philanthropic: Since there were so many destitute people in Stella's town, she decided to set up a philanthropical organization with others to assist those who were poor or in need of help.

Descriptive of how something is done in a humanitarian way: Mr. Lawson tried to help many people in his town as philanthropically as possible during his lifetime.

1. The effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations: Jeffrey wanted so much to join and work with Amnesty International after seeing and reading about the suffering of people throughout the world and so his act of philanthropy was well received when he applied for a job with the organization.
2. Love of humankind in general: Jack and Susan were quite involved in collecting donations and organizing the rebuilding of the school which had recently been destroyed by a fire and others in the community were quite impressed by their philanthropy and so they joined in to help.
3. An activity or institution which is intended to promote human welfare: The Red Cross is one of the better known philanthropies which helps those who are in need of immediate medical assistance. © ALL rights are reserved.

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A person who collects postage stamps and related material referring to their history: Since June collects mailing stamps from all over the world, she is considered to be a real philatelist! © ALL rights are reserved. © ALL rights are reserved.

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Self-love; selfishness: Christine thought that her brother had a case of philauty because he was so self-centered, greedy, egoistic, and had a total regard for himself, and not for her at all.

A desire or an effort to increase the well-being of the world's ecology or environment: Philecology is a fondness for a better biosphere for the Earth.

Greek Mythology. A poor elderly man who, with his wife Baucis, treated the disguised Zeus so hospitably that as a reward their humble cottage was transformed into a magnificent temple.

An orchestra: One group of musicians playing together is the British philharmonia in London, England, and came to life in 1941.

1. Conveying a devotion to or a special appreciation for music: Shirley possessed a philharmonic talent because she was able to distinguish and recognize the music of many composers and their masterpieces and she was also a talented pianoist.
2. A description of an orchestra, choir, or society that promotes the study, performance, and appreciation of classical music: There were many people in Sharon's village who loved music so much that they founded a philharmonic club which invited small groups of musicians to come and to perform in their little church.

Every month David's family went to the city to enjoy the philharmonic ensembles, or chamber groups, that performed highly artistic music.

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An individual who loves Greece and its culture: After Raymond read about Greece in his history book, he decided to take a trip there, and simply fell in love with the country, and became a real philhellene!