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.
ombrophilic (adjective), more ombrophilic, most ombrophilic
Referring to species that exist where there is a great deal of rain: An ombrophilic organism can thrive in an environment with much rainfall.
ombrophilous (adjective), more ombrophilous, most ombrophilous
Descriptive of plants and animals that thrive in environments where there is an abundance of rain: One ombrophilous plant that develops well in wet or swampy areas is the mallow or hibiscus confederate rose.
The capacity of various species of animals and plants that can tolerate areas which have prolonged periods of rainfall; hydrophily: When learning about ombrophily, Frank found out that rice, rubber, and cotton grow very well during periods of heavy rainfall.
Someone who has a special fondness for snakes and other reptiles; ophiophile: As am ophiophilist, Mr. Timmons read a lo about snakes and usually went to the zoo particularly to see the different kinds of serpents and ophidians, like the constrictor.
A collector of snake skins: Tim's neighbor was a ophisophilist who saved the skins of snakes because he believed that they brought prosperity, good luck, and protected him against evil spirits!
An organism that feeds on plant sap: One opophile is the sap-beetle or Nitidulidae, that thrives mainly on over-ripe fruit, sap, and vegetable substances that have decayed.
opophilous (adjective) (not comparable)
In biology, referring to an organism that feeds on a plant's sap: Opophilous beetles live together with fungi and dwell in coniferous trees throughout the European continent.
The situation of an organism taking its nourishment from the sap of plants: Opophily also includes pest species like the strawberry sap beetles that invade the crops in Brazil from August to February.
opsonophilic (adjective) (not comparable)
A reference to that which is attracted to opsonins: An opsonophilic condition is one where bacteria easily join antibodies allowing other cells or bacteria to be susceptible to phagocytosis.
A collector of eye glasses: Sally had an interesting hobby of saving optical instruments with frames used for correcting defective eyesight. As an opticophilist, she had some modern dark glasses or sunglasses, some bifocals, and pince-nez ones that were very old!
A form of life that lives in open woodland regions: Rabbits, racoons, squirrels, and chipmunks are just a few orgadophiles that dwell in open woodland environments.
orgadophilous (adjective), more orgadophilous, most orgadophilous
In biology, retarding an organism that dwells and thrives in open woodlands: Some orgadophilous animals, like foxes, birds, and badgers, prefer living in open woodland areas.
Animal or plant life in open woodland regions: Mr. Tree told his biology students about orgadophily and asked them to find out what forms of life they could find in the open woodland area close to their village.
An organism that thrives in bird droppings: Some ornithocophiles can be harmful to people, like duck and goose poop which might contain germs like E. coli or salmonella.
ornithocophilous (adjective) (not comparable)
In biology, referring to the existence of an organism in the excreta of birds: Some harmful ornithocophilous tapeworms can be found in an infected bird's droppings.
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.
