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.
The situation of life developing and thriving in humus: When Greg read about oxygeophily, he decided to go to the nursery and buy some vegetable plants that would thrive well in such humus rich in decomposed organic matter which he had in his garden.
An organism that exists in humus: Earthworm are known to be oxylophiles and help to keep the soil well aerated and promote effective decomposition of organic matter.
oxylophilous (adjective), more oxylophilous, most oxylophilous
In biology, referring to creatures dwelling in humus or humus-rich habitats: In his biology book, Martin read about some oxylophilous organisms thriving best in partially decomposed organic matter.
The development of a life form in humus: When Janet read about oxylophily in her biology book, she found out that many small organisms, like worms, dwell and thrive in such soil rich in humus.
An organism that needs an acid habitat; acidophile; An oxyphile can be a certain type of bacterium that dwells and thrives in an acidic environment.
oxyphilous (adjective), more oxyphilous, most oxyphilous
In biology, referring to an organism that grows in an acidic environment: Such oxyphilous plants, like azaleas, camellia pieris, heathers, magnolias, and ferns do very well in a habitat of acidic soil.
In biology, the situation of a life form living in an acidic habitat: Because June had a garden with acidic soil, shs was interested in oxyphily and found out that she could plant rhododendrons and hydrangeas that would do very well in such soil conditions.
A plant or animal thriving in ice or preferring to exist in ice: Some pagophiles, the huge phytoplankton blooms, have been discovered under the Arctic sea.
pagophilous (adjective), more pagophilous, most pagophilous
Relating to an organism that has a preference for environments consisting of ice: The Antarctic and Snow Petrels, Adelie and Emperor Penguins, and the Antarctic Terns can be called the real pagophilous species. Petrels have never been observed far from the edge of the ice although they have been encountered in ice-free water.
The feature of a life form thriving on ice, or living within ice itself: When Mrs. James was telling her students about pagophily, she mentioned that it applied to some bacteria or other microscopic creatures and to some animals and plants having a preference for living in such extremely cold environments.
A person who really savors bread: Sally's mother was a paniphile who not only liked eating bread, but also loved to bake different kinds of bread.
paniphilous (adjective), more paniphilous, most paniphilous
Pertaining to the enjoyment of bread: Mrs. Stewart gave a paniphilous party for her friends with many different kinds of bread, delicious kinds of cheeses from Europe, and some nice white wine to go along with it!
A fondness for bread: When Mrs. Green had her birthday, her daughter gave her a book on paniphily including the history of bread, bread from different countries ,and many recipes of interesting types of bread from around the world.
A child that has more affection for the father than the mother: As a patrophile, little Jenny really adored her father and always ran to him when she wanted something or when she had hurt herself.
A plant or animal that has a preference for dwelling on higher grounds: Pediophiles are those forms of life that establish themselves in the uplands and not in valley environments.
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.
