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.
alkaliphilic (adjective), more alkaliphilic, most alkaliphilic
Pertaining to extremophilic microbes that exist in alkaline environments: Such alkaliphilic organisms can survive in igneous rocks that contain a lot of sodium and potassium.
An organism that lives and grows in an alkaline habitat: An alkalophile is a form of an extremophile and is exemplified by a Thiohalospira alkaliphila, a Natronomonas pharaonis, and a Halorhodospira halochloris.
allophilous (adjective), more allophilous, most allophilous
A reference to a plant that lacks morphological adaptations for attracting and guiding pollinators: It is an advantage for an allophilous flower to have insects help in transferring pollen from an anther to its stigma.
The situation of certain flowers not possessing morphological adaptations to help pollinators so that they can be used by short-tongued insects: Allophily describes the condition of some flowers that lack the possibility of attracting insects with little tongues.
A form of life that thrivies in woody grove habitats: Alsophiles can be wildflowers, ferns, mosses, and lichens which all are located on the forest floor.
alsophilous (adjective), more alsophilous, most alsophilous
Regarding a form of life that thrives in woody grove habitats: One kind of an alsophilous plant is moss that grows on the surface of trees.
An organism that exists in forest environments: Such alsophilies can be ferns, climbers, groundcovers and grasses that grow as an undergrowth in woody habitats.
A creature that lives in sandy plains or soils: A sand crab is a good example of an amathophile that is very mobile in sandy beaches.
amathophilous (adjective), mosre amathophilous, most amathophilous
Concerning a creature or plant that dwells in sandy areas or soils: Many low shrubs and grasses are considered to be amathophilous vegetation on the sandy soils of beach ridges.
A partiality for an animal or a plant to exist in sandy places or soils: When walking along the beach, Jill saw many examples of amathophilies represented by beach hoppers, blood worms, and clams.
A person who has a strong affinity to the Native American way of life: Besides being very interested in the existence of the Native Americans, Kevin was also an Amerindophile and collected many Red Indian paraphernalia or articles.
In biology, existing on or having a priority for sand banks: Typical ammochthophiles include sea urchins, sand stars, and the burrowing Red Band fish.
ammochthophilous (adjective), more ammochthophilous, most ammochthophilous
Referring to an organism that dwells on or exhibits a preference for sand banks: Razor shells are considered to be ammochthophilous creatures that are found on beaches with loose material consisting of tiny grains of rock or coral.
A tendency of an organism to exist on banks of sand or sand banks: Ammochthophily is a liking for seabirds for shallow sandy banks as a place for feeding grounds.
A situation of ammochthophily can be exemplified by burrowing worms or crustaceans, mysid shrimps, crabs and fish.
In zoology, a form of life that prefers living in sand or in dry sandy places. The members of the genus Ammophila are characterized as being ammophiles.
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.
