Advertisement
Advertisement
-philism
- a combining form used to form abstract nouns corresponding to nouns ending in -phile:
bibliophilism.
Advertisement
yÐÄvlogs That Use -philism
What does -philism mean?
The combining form -philism is used like a suffix to indicate the abstract noun form of words that use the form -phile, meaning âlove or liking,â âunnatural attraction,â or âtendency.â The form -philism roughly means âa liking, tendency, or attraction.â It is used in scientific terms, albeit extremely rarely.
The form -philism is made from a combination of two combining forms. The first is -phile, from Greek ±è³óñôŽÇ²õ, meaning âdear, beloved.â The second form is the suffix -ism. The suffix -ism ultimately comes from Greek -ismos, an ending used to form nouns.
While -philism doesnât have any variants, it is related to several other combining forms: -phile, -philia, -philiac, -philic, -philous, and -phily. Want to know more? Check out our yÐÄvlogs that Use articles for each form.
Examples of -philism
One of the very few words that uses the combining form -philism is necrophilism, or necrophilia, meaning âan erotic attraction to corpses.â
The first part of the word, necro-, means âcorpse,â âthe dead,â or âdead tissue,â from Greek ²Ô±ð°ì°ùó²õ. The -philism part of the word here means âattraction.â Necrophilism literally translates to âcorpse attraction.â
What are some other forms that -philism may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The combining form biblio- means âbook.â With this in mind, what does bibliophilism mean in everyday language?
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse