philomath (Fil uh math)
n. A philomath is a lover of learning, an enthusiast for study and knowledge; not especially concerned with math, short for mathematics, though it comes from Greek mathematike (scientific), related to math-, the root of mathanein (to learn), the same
-math as that in philomath. Philomathes is Greek for "fond of learning." Philo- (phil- before a vowel) is a common prefix consisting of the combining form of philos (loving), related to the verb phileein (to love), while -phile is a common suffix from the same source (philanthropy, philology,philosophy; ailurophile, bibliophile). In the philo- department, we also have philately (fih LAT uh lee), stamp-collecting (literally, love of postage stamps), the -ately being from ateleia (literally, freedom from taxation, i.e. cost-free, showing the addressee's freedom from delivery charges by affixing a stamp) and phillumeny (fih LOOH muh nee), the collection of matchbox labels.
ailurophile - lover of cat(s)
ailurophobia - fear of cat(s)
bibliophile - lover of books
bibliophobia - fear of books
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