philately

[ fi-lat-l-ee ]

/ fɪˈlæt l i /

noun

the collecting of stamps and other postal matter as a hobby or an investment.

the study of postage stamps, revenue stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postal cards, covers, and similar material relating to postal or fiscal history.

Nearby words

philanthropic, philanthropist, philanthropize, philanthropy, philatelist, philately, philby, philby, kim, philem., philemon, philharmonic

Origin of philately

1860–65; < French philatélie < Greek phil- phil- + atéleia freedom from charges (taken to mean recipient's freedom from delivery charges by virtue of the stamp which sender affixed to the letter), literally, want of taxation, equivalent to a- a-⁶ + tél(os) tax + -eia -y³

Related forms

phil·a·tel·ic

[fil-uh-tel-ik] /ˌfɪl əˈtɛl ɪk/, phil·a·tel·i·cal, adjectivephil·a·tel·i·cal·ly, adverbphi·lat·e·list

[fi-lat-l-ist] /fɪˈlæt l ɪst/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for philatelic

You see there are still worlds to conquer, in spite of all the inky battles that have been waged by philatelic writers.
What Philately Teaches|John N. Luff
But the most popular of all the philatelic publications are, of course, the monthly periodicals.
Stamp Collecting as a Pastime|Edward J. Nankivell
A glossary of philatelic terms and guide to the identification of the postage stamps of all nations.
Catalogue of books on philately in the Public Library of the city of Boston|Anonymous
Once again, and this time the fact was noted in some of the philatelic journals, the imprint was changed.
Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery|Clifton Armstrong Howes

It is with these two provinces that our philatelic story of Canada begins.
Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery|Clifton Armstrong Howes

British Dictionary definitions for philatelic

philately

/ (fɪˈlætəlɪ) /

noun

the collection and study of postage stamps and all related material concerned with postal history

Derived Forms

philatelic (ˌfɪləˈtɛlɪk), adjectivephilatelically, adverbphilatelist, noun

Word Origin for philately

C19: from French philatélie, from philo- + Greek ateleia exemption from charges (here referring to stamps), from a- 1 + telos tax, payment

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