bibliophile
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- bibliophilic adjective
- bibliophilism noun
- bibliophilistic adjective
- bibliophily noun
Etymology
Origin of bibliophile
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bibliophile
All You Need is Love: Amor and Phil
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ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Book Words for Book Worms
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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.
On May 25, 1926, the New York Public Library announced that it had acquired the celebrated Afro-Latino bibliophile Arturo Schomburg’s collection of more than 4,000 books, manuscripts and other artifacts.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
He was a Christian Zionist and bibliophile, who by all accounts knew the land of Israel better than many of the Jews who lived there.
From Salon • Oct. 28, 2023
After a few years of joining the Kindle cult, I am back to my old bibliophile ways.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2023
Francesco, a dashing young Italian bibliophile, knew Pablo Picasso and showed the painter Pamela’s pictures at dinner one night at the Bianco apartment.
From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2022
The merest tyro sometimes experiences a success which the experienced bibliophile sighs for in vain.
From Book Collecting: A Guide for Amateurs by Slater, J. Herbert (John Herbert)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
