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.
2. Someone who loves books; especially, a collector interested in beautiful or rare bindings, formats, etc.: When Mary, a well-known bibliophile died, she gave her entire library of rare publications to the local university.
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2. In biochemistry, any element occurring in living organisms or organic matter, such as carbon, oxygen, or nitrogen.
2. Considered by some to be the connections humans subconsciously seek with the rest of life.
3. A belief that animals have rights that human beings should respect.
This term could also apply to the term, zoophilia, et al.
2. In biochemistry, of or designating any chemical element that grows best, or can only exist, in living organisms or in organic matter; such as, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
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.
