homophile

[ hoh-muh-fahyl ]

noun

1. a gay person, especially a gay man.

adjective

1. advocating or supportive of the interests, civil rights, and welfare of gay people:

   a homophile activist organization.

homophile

/ ˈhəʊməˌfaɪl; ˈhɒm- /

noun

1. a rare word for homosexual

Word History and Origins

Origin of homophile¹

First recorded in 1945–50; homo- + -phile, on the model of homosexual