Suffixes with the common part -phil- (-phile, -philia, -philic) are used to specify some kind of attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something. They are
antonymic to suffixes
-phob-. Phil- (Philo-) may also be used as a prefix with a similar meaning.
Philia (φιλία) as an
ancient Greek word for love refers to
brotherly love, including
friendship and
affection. This contrast to the ancient Greek terms
Eros, or
sexual/
romantic love, and
agapē, or detached, spiritual love. English usage differs in some cases from the etymological use, and several of these words refer in English not to brotherly love but to sexual attraction.
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