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.
aigialophilous (adjective), more aigialophilous, most aigialophilous
Pertaining to the life in beach environments: There are many aigialophilous creatures found in beach habitats, including mussels, shore crabs, shrimps, and starfish.
A preference for spending one's life near the ocean: Ever since Martin was little, he always wanted to live close to the sea and discovered that the term for this was aigialophily"
ailurophilous (adjective), more ailurophilous, most ailurophilous
Descriptive of a special love or fondness for cats: Virginia's sister had an ailurophilous affection towards felines and had at least one in her home to keep her company.
A special attraction for felines: Sensing her condition of ailurophily, Carol always preferred cats to dogs and had at least one cat living with her in her condo.
That which is especially suited for inhabiting the woods that remain green throughout the year: There are many aiphyllophiles, including bears, foxes, and weasels, that dwell in green forest areas.
aiphyllophilous (adjective), more aiphyllophilous, most aiphyllophilous
Characteristic of anything that develops in evergreen woodlands: Some aiphyllophilous animals whose habitats are in forests are bobcats, beavers, and coyotes.
The preference that some creatures have of living in trees that don't seasonally shed their leaves: Lynn learned in class about aiphyllophily which described those living forms of life, like insects and birds, that thrive in trees.
An organism which grows especially well in forested areas where the trees keep their foliage throughout the year: There are some life forms that thrive in evergreen areas or thickest, for example the Juniper Moss.
aithalophilous (adjective), more aithalophilous, most aithalophilous
Referring to the existence of certain creatures in evergreen thickets. dwelling in evergreen thickets: Moose, caribou, racoons, owls are just some aithalophilous life forms that inhabit deciduous forests.
The growth of animals or plants in deciduous forests: The inhabitants, or aithalophilies, of evergreen woodland areas are usually mosses, ferns, and wildflowers.
A craving or strong desire for intoxicating drinks or other fermented liquids: When Jack was very depressed he had a spell of alcoholophilia which he thought would make his problems less dramatic and troublesome.
Living things that prosper especially well along the sides of roads or next to train routes: There are lots of open spaces next to train tracks allowing a variety of weeds, or aletophiles, to grow and thrive.
aletophilous (adjective), more aletophilous, most aletophilous
Pertaining to thriving on roadside verges and beside railway tracks: There are some common aletophilous roadside flowers, including the lupines and borages.
The tendency for living forms of life to exist on the edges of streets and public or private roads: The aletophily of uncontrollable plants can be harmful to railroad tracks and present further problems, so a railroad vegetation management is important.
An organism that exists and grows in an alkaline habitat: Alkaliphiles are attracted to salt or a mixture of salts that neutralize acids which are usually found in some desert soils.
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.
