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bibliophile

American  
[bib-lee-uh-fahyl, -fil] / ˈbɪb li əˌfaɪl, -fɪl /
Also bibliophilist

noun

  1. a person who loves or collects books, especially as examples of fine or unusual printing, binding, or the like.


bibliophile British  
/ ˈbɪblɪəˌfaɪl, ˈbɪblɪəfɪl, ˌbɪblɪˈɒfəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. a person who collects or is fond of books

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of bibliophile

First recorded in 1815–25; biblio- + -phile

Explanation

You can call a book lover a bibliophile. If you find it impossible to leave a book store without buying at least one book, you might be a bibliophile. A bibliophile usually has a huge collection of books and loves nothing more than browsing in a used book shop or a library. A love of books or a deep knowledge about them makes a person a bibliophile. The earliest use of the word bibliophile was in 1820s France, and it came from the Greek prefix biblio, or "book," and the word philos, or "friend." If you consider books to be your true friends, you are definitely a bibliophile.

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Vocabulary lists containing bibliophile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bibliophile Diverse Spines: Provide great ideas for her next read with this illustrated list of talented but underrepresented authors across genres, from contemporary fiction to horror to cookbooks to essays.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2021

Bibliophile William O’Brien amassed the books in the 1880s and 1890s.

From The Guardian • Jun. 3, 2017

And his purchases of 100,000 rare books and 1,000,000 precious manuscripts made him, in Bibliophile A.S.W.

From Time Magazine Archive

Among other achievements, Bibliophile Ransom has made the university one of the country's richest repositories of rare manuscripts.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Bibliophile tells us of Caxton, Aldine, and Baskerville editions having been exposed for sale by itinerant booksellers, men who in opening their umbrellas opened their shops.

From The Violin Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators by Hart, George

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