Have you ever wondered if there is a name for something that you love? Well, it turns out there probably is. The word ‘phile’ is a person who has a love or obsession with a particular thing and comes from the ancient Greek word for love ‘phileein’. Moreover, you may be surprised to know that there are many types of philes, with each of them having a different meaning.

There are hundreds of different types of philes so here we list some of our favorites, ranging from the familiar to the downright obscure!

  1. Retrophile

As the name suggests, this is the name for lovers of all things retro. A retrophile is someone who has a passion for old artifacts. You may find that their home contains a host of aesthetics from times gone by such as furniture, wallpaper, and objects that have some history behind them.

  1. Bibliophile

A category of ‘phile’ that many of us may relate to is a bibliophile. As the name suggests, this type of ‘phile’ relates to a lover of books. If your bookshelf is overflowing, you gain immense pleasure from the smell of a page and have firmly rejected a Kindle it is highly likely that you fall into the category of a bibliophile.

logophile definition

  1. Oenophile

Oinos is the Greek word for wine. So an oenophile is a lover of wine. This doesn’t mean someone who is partial to a large glass of Chardonnay on a Friday night, this is a disciplined devotee. They are interested in the manufacture of their favorite liquid and usually have a collection of wines from their preferred regions stored in the cellar.

  1. Pogonophile

Do you find yourself drawn to a beard? Perhaps you’re a proud owner of a perfectly groomed beard or you find yourself frequently attracted to a man with a furry chin. If this sounds familiar, then the ‘phile’ that describes you is a pogonophile. That’s right, there is even a term for a lover of beards.

  1. Turophile

When your knees go weak at the sight of a Camembert, then you know that your relationship with cheese has gone from steady to a full-blown love affair. A lover of cheese is known as a turophile, coming from the Ancient Greek ‘turos’ for cheese. If you’re craving a fondue more than once a week, then we reckon you can call yourself a turophile.

  1. Cynophile

This is certainly one of those types of philes that many of us can associate with. A cynophile is a word to describe someone that loves all things canine. In other words, they’re a dog lover. Cynophiles come in different categories with the most extreme kind being those that participate in dog shows and may be the proud owners of a prize-winning pooch.

  1. Pluviophile

When the heavens open do you find yourself reaching for your wellington boots while everyone else takes shelter from the storm? Then in all likelihood, you are a pluviophile.

A pluviophile is a lover of rain and the term is derived from the word ‘pluvial’, the Latin word for rain. A lover of rain does not just find enjoyment in the physical presence of rain, they also find joy and peace when a rainy day descends.

Pluviophile word of the day

  1. Peristerophile

Now, this is a strange one. Have you ever met anyone who loves pigeons? Well, believe it or not, they exist and there is even a word to describe them: peristerophile. A peristerophile may keep racer pigeons or simply find themselves smiling when they see this often neglected bird.

  1. Heliophile

This is likely to ring true for many of us. A heliophile is a lover of the sun. A sun lover makes the most of the sunshine no matter what the temperature and you are likely to find them basking in the vitamin D soaked rays even on a cold winters day.

  1. Caeruleaphile

We’re sure that you can’t guess this one. A caeruleaphile is a person who can’t get enough of the color blue. Perhaps you’re a painter that loves painting in shades of blue or have simply realized that the majority of your possessions are the color of the sky.

  1. Javaphile

A cup of coffee is the go-to for many people in order to get through their day. This delicious brown liquid that also serves to wake us up is drunk by millions of people each day. But did you know that there is now a word to describe this group of coffee lovers? The word is javaphile and comes from the slang word ‘java’ for coffee.

  1. Arctophile

It’s not just children that love a teddy bear, there are in fact adults who love to fill their lives with these furry friends. A teddy bear lover is known as an arctophile. You will find a vast amount of teddy bears in an arctophile’s home, with many of them likely to be collectors’ items.

Learning about the various types of philes is an interesting topic as it highlights the diversity of the human character and brings to light some interesting obsessions that people have.

There are hundreds of different ‘philes’ out there that seek to describe our loves and passions. They are the opposite of our phobias and celebrate what brings us joy. Whatever you love, we’re sure there is a type of ‘phile’ to describe you.

References

  1. www.mentalfloss.com
  2. steemit.com

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Aj H

    Ghosting is not always a bad thing done from a lack of morals or compassion. I know of several situations where it was a necessity…a once in a million happenstance that opened up a small window in time, shining light into dark places revealing a way out that was not possible before! Unfortunately they all involve females who’ve found themselves in toxic or abusive circumstances so when that momentous sliver of light appeared before them, they knew to bolt through that gap out of harms way, disappearing into their future. Many occurrences of ‘Ghosting’ such as those I’ve witnessed – ‘The Ghost’ was also the victim.

  2. Yojo

    Is phile like the opposite of phobia?

  3. Tom

    Looking for a word and meaning of, that sounds like….
    “You die phile”
    It’s spelled something like….
    Eudiophile
    Can anyone help me out?
    Thanks

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