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.

halophile (s) (noun), halophiles (pl)
A microorganism requiring a high concentration of salt for optimal growth: Halophiles are extremophiles named after the Greek term "salt-loving" and are classified in the sector of Archaea.
halophilic (adjective) (not comparable)
A reference to or characterized by an affinity for salt: Some of the species of halophilic microorganisms can be found in the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA that has a salt concentration of more than 5 times than that of an ocean.
halophilous (adjective), more halophilous, most halophilous
Referring to organisms that exist in saline habitats; halophilic: Hlophilous plants and animals cannot thrive, or have an extreme difficulty to survive, in the harsh environment of the Dead Sea, which has a salinity of 34% in 2011.
halophily (s) (noun) (no pl)
An organism that grows in or can tolerate saline conditions: The development of a halophily is enhanced by or dependent on a high concentration of salt.
heliophile (s) (noun), heliophiles (pl)
1. Any living creature or vegetation that is well-adapted to or thrives in full sunlight conditions: A heliophile can be an aquatic alga that is suited to reach maximum exposure to the light of the sun.
2. An individual who finds much pleasure in sunny weather: Toby's next-door neighbor was a heliophile who used every moment to be outside when the sun was out.
heliophilic (adjective), more heliophilic, most heliophilic
A reference to any organism or plant t is alive, well-adapted to, or thrives in full sunlight: Rosemary is a heliophilic plant that loves growing in the sun, along with purple coneflower and yarrow.
heliophilous (adjective), more heliophilous, most heliophilous
In biology, a reference to the existence of plants and animals in sunlight or under conditions of a high intensity of light: A heliophilous situation occurs in some desert organisms that have adapted to both strong sunlight and to drought.
heliophily (s) (noun), heliophilies (pl)
The existence of living plants and animals that are adapted to and thrive well in an environment of sunshine: When reading about heliophily, Judy found out that many very colourful flowers grow wonderfully in brilliant sunshine, like the hibiscus and the purple coneflower.
helioxerophile (s) (noun), helioxerophiles (pl)
A desert organism that thrives best in both strong sunlight and dry conditions: Cacti are helioxerophiles and have adapted to the dry environment of the deserts by storing large amounts of water.
helioxerophilous (adjective), more helioxerophilous, most helioxerophilous
A reference to desert creatures and plants that thrive well in both strong sunlight and drought situations: Some helioxerophilous animals that live in desert climates include the scorpion, the yucca moth, the sidewinder, the roadrunner, and the dromedary camel.
helioxerophily (s) (noun) (no pl)
The preference of desert organisms that thrive best in both strong sunlight and dry conditions: The property of helioxerophily can be exemplified in the soap aloe, coral aloe, and the jewel aloe that all survive drought circumstances,.
helogadophile (s) (noun), helogadophiles (pl)
In biology, an organism that dwells and thrives in swampy woodlands: Some helogadophiles can be found in freshwater swamps, like the cypress and the Spanish moss, which hangs from tree branches.
helogadophilous (noun), more helogadophilous, most helogadophilous
Referring to some plants or animals that grow in swampy woodlands: In biology class, Meg learned about helogadophilous plants like the little duckweed that covers the surface of the swamp.
helogadophily (s) (noun) (no pe)
The priority or preference of organisms to prosper in marshy wooklands: Annette's teacher, Mr. Plant, told his students about helogadophily as being the situation of certain plants thriving very well in swampy wooded areas, like many shrubs and bushes that grown under the trees.
helohylophile (s) (noun), helohylophiles (pl)
In biology, an organism that thrives in wet or swampy forests: The white cedar and the black ash are two helohylophiles that prosper well in wet woodlands.
Quiz button #1 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.