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#87540 11/22/02 01:06 AM
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Jackie Offline OP
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How did phil- get to be part of so many different words? I know the difference between philology and philately, but. Then there words such as bibliophile. Is that kind of phil related to the others?


#87541 11/22/02 01:27 AM
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sjm Offline
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No doubt someone will correct me if necessary, but I was labouring under the impression that phil- and -phile both come from some Greek word or other meaning "love" or "lover" as the case may be. How far off base am I, anyone?


#87542 11/22/02 02:27 AM
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wwh Offline
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"phil- and its variants appear to have the same meaning. It is one of the few roots that can
be both prefix and suffix, which almost doubles the number of words of which it is a part.
If all the world loves a lover, should there be philophiles?

I might have known it. There are dozens of sites using "philophile". Nothing new ;under the sun/


#87543 11/22/02 02:37 AM
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wwh Offline
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There was a book by that title:
This page has quotes from a couple of Alan Paton's books ...

Cry, The Beloved Country

Too Late the Phalarope (Or why my car ran out of gas.)


#87544 11/22/02 06:20 AM
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The phalarope is a bird. I used it once in a poem, but used the wrong bird. Had to change it to the right bird, which was a capercallie, but the correct bird, though correct for characteristics, was all wrong for word-effect. Really bummed me out because phalarope would have been perfect.



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