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-philiac
- a combining form occurring in personal nouns that correspond to nouns ending in -philia:
hemophiliac; necrophiliac.
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˜yÐÄvlogs That Use -philiac
What does -philiac mean?
The combining form -philiac is used like a suffix to indicate the personal noun form of words that use the form -phile, meaning “love or liking,†“unnatural attraction,†or “tendency.â€
The form -philiac roughly means “someone with a liking, tendency, or attraction.†It is occasionally used in scientific and everyday terms, especially in pathology.
The form -philiac comes from Greek -philiakos, which roughly means “friend.â€
While -philiac doesn’t have any variants, it is related to six other combining forms: -phile, -philia, -philic, -philism, -philous, and -phily. Want to know more? Check out our ˜yÐÄvlogs that Use articles for each form.
Examples of -philiac
One example of a medical term that features the form -philiac is hemophiliac, a term for a person with hemophilia, which is a disease in which the blood doesn’t clot correctly, causing excessive bleeding. The word hemophiliac ultimately comes from haemophilia, which uses the equivalent form of -philia in Latin.
The hemo- part of the word means “blood,†from Greek ³ó²¹Ã®³¾²¹, while -philiac means “someone with a liking, tendency, or attraction.†Hemophiliac literally translates to “someone with a tendency for blood [bleeding].â€
What are some words that use the combining form –philiac?
- coprophiliac
- gerontophiliac
- necrophiliac
- nyctophiliac
- pedophiliac
What are some other forms that –philiac may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The combining form nycto- means “night.†With this in mind, what is a nyctophiliac?
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