-phily

1. a combining form used in the formation of compound words that have the general sense “love or liking” ( homophily, notaphily ); used especially in biological and chemical terms ( hydrophily ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of -phily¹

From -phil(e) ( def ) + -y ³( def ); -philia ( def )

Example Sentences

Mr Phily said her arrest on Sunday was the result of several weeks of investigations into drug trafficking in the town, which is home to 6,000 people and located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

From BBC

The mayor's house, the town hall, and the pharmacy whereMs Habsaoui workedwere all searched, prosecutor Hugues de Phily told AFP news agency.

From BBC

Someone in Dan Snyder’s organization thought it would be a good idea to follow the Dallas Cowboys’ blueprint for victory in their 27-20 win over Washington the week before and had special “Washington Football” benches brought to Phily’s Lincoln Financial Field.

From Washington Times

Well!"—he interrupted his musing with resolute cheerfulness—"I've got to get over to the library to-night," he said, "for I may have to start for Phily to-morrow afternoon.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -phily

What does -phily ​mean?

The combining form -phily is used like a suffix meaning “love” or “liking.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology and chemistry.

The form -phily is made from a combination of two combining forms. The first is -phile, from Greek phílos, meaning “dear, beloved.” The second form is the suffix -y, which ultimately comes from Greek -ia, an ending used to form abstract nouns.

While -phily doesn’t have any variants, it is closely related to six other combining forms: -phile, -philia, -philiac, -philic, -philism, and -philous. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.

Examples of -phily

An example of a term from biology that features the form -phily is ornithophily, “pollination of flowers by birds.”

The form ornitho- means “bird,” from Greek órnīs. The form -phily, as we’ve seen, means “love” or “liking.” Ornithophily literally translates to “bird-liking.”

What are some words that use the combining form –phily?

• bibliophily
• cartophily
• homophily
• malacophily
• notaphily

What are some other forms that –phily may be commonly confused with?

• -phile
• -philiac
• -philic
• -philous
• -phyll

The combining form -phily should not be confused with Philly, common nickname for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Break it down!

The combining form biblio- means “book.” With this in mind, what does the term bibliophily mean in everyday language?