linguaphile

American  

[ling-gwuh-fahyl] / ˈlɪŋ gwəˌfaɪl /

noun

1. a language and word lover.

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Usage

What does linguaphile mean? A linguaphile is a person who loves language and words. All linguaphiles love language, but individual linguaphiles can be interested in many different things, such as learning to speak several different languages or simply nerding out about words in general. Example: The editors at Dictionary.com are all hardcore linguaphiles.

Etymology

Origin of linguaphile

First recorded in 1950–55; from Latin lingua “tongue, language” + -phile ( def. )

Explanation

Someone who loves language is a linguaphile. If your favorite classes at school are English and Spanish, and you're also learning Mandarin and Italian in your spare time, you can describe yourself as a linguaphile. Linguaphiles are crazy about words, and they often speak several different languages. You don't have to be multilingual to be a linguaphile, though — all you need is a deep appreciation for the way language works. You can even turn this love of language into a career as a dictionary editor, etymologist, or linguistics professor. A true linguaphile will be fascinated to learn that linguaphile derives from the Latin lingua, "tongue," and Greek philos, "love."