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.

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bibliophile British  

/ ˈbɪblɪəˌfaɪl, ˈbɪblɪəfɪl, ˌbɪblɪˈɒfəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a person who collects or is fond of books

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bibliophilism
  noun
• bibliophilistic
  adjective
• bibliophilic
  adjective
• bibliophily
  noun

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.