linguaphile

[ ling-gwuh-fahyl ]

noun

1. a language and word lover.

Word History and Origins

Origin of linguaphile¹

First recorded in 1950–55; from Latin lingua “tongue, language” + -phile ( def )

More About Linguaphile

What does linguaphile mean?

A linguaphile is a person who loves language and words.

All linguaphiles love language, but individual linguaphiles can be interested in many different things, such as learning to speak several different languages or simply nerding out about words in general.

Example: The editors at Dictionary.com are all hardcore linguaphiles.

Where does linguaphile come from?

Linguaphile comes from the Latin lingu or lingua, meaning “tongue,” which, in this context, refers to speech and language (as in linguistics, which is the science of language). The suffix -phile means “lover of,” as in related words like logophile (word lover) and bibliophile (book lover).

Linguaphiles are always logophiles, and they’re likely to be bibliophiles, too. The word linguaphile is most commonly used to refer to people who are multilingual because of their love for learning languages. But you don’t need to be fluent in more than one language to be a linguaphile. Linguaphiles love language for all the things it can do. They often love how language sounds, as if it were music, and they love how it looks on the page. Linguaphiles love old words and new words, and they love knowing where certain words come from. They love collecting new bits of language and then using them. Perhaps most of all, they love what language is used for: poetry, fiction, precise descriptions of real things and unreal things, passionate arguments, wise expressions, long conversations, good puns, bad puns, love letters, apologies—is there anything language can’t do? Not to a linguaphile.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of linguaphile?

• linguaphilia (noun)

What are some synonyms for linguaphile?

• language lover

What are some words that share a root or word element with linguaphile? 

 

• language
• linguist
• logophile

What are some words that often get used in discussing linguaphile?

 

• language
• word
• fluent
• multilingual
• etymology
• definition
• literature

What are some words linguaphile may be commonly confused with?

• logophile

How is linguaphile used in real life?

Linguaphile is probably most often used by linguaphiles themselves to refer to themselves and others who share a passion for language. It is commonly used to refer to people who speak multiple languages.

Are there any bilinguals, linguaphiles, or people who speak 2+ languages in #PitchWars #ontheporch #amwriting?? Let's be friends!!

— Athena Freya⁷ is ON & in The Untamed 🇸🇪 🏳️‍🌈♀️ (@AthenaGreyson) August 11, 2017

It's like you know me, @Quillywonk 😍 thank you, thank you so much #linguaphile #logophile #languagewonk pic.twitter.com/BlxkfkdVPz

— Incognito Mermaid 🧜‍♀️ (@acorn_karla) December 28, 2017

Put me in a room with language professors, linguaphiles and polyglots…my not-so-inner-geek comes out in full effect.

— Adrian L. H. Graham (@lingvamanto) December 2, 2013

 

 

Try using linguaphile!

Which of the following things does a linguaphile probably love?

A. learning rare words
B. learning big words
C. learning words from other languages
D. all of the above