philately

American  

[fi-lat-l-ee] / fɪˈlæt l i /

noun

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

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

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philately British  

/ fɪˈlætəlɪ, ˌfɪləˈtɛlɪk /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• philatelic
  adjective
• philatelical
  adjective
• philatelically
  adverb
• philatelist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of philately

First recorded in 1860–65; from French philatélie, from 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 -y ³

Explanation

Philately is a fancy way to say "stamp collecting." If you want to get involved in philately, you can start by saving the stamps from your pen pal's letters. Philately comes from the French philatélie, which was coined by a 19th-century stamp collector using the Greek phil-, "loving," and atelēs, "free of taxes." This last part explains how a postage stamp works, exempting the recipient from paying taxes on the letter or package they receive. Your interest in philately might be casual, saving stamps from birthday cards — or more serious, collecting and trading valuable or historically interesting stamps.

Example Sentences

"I told him, Philately will get you nowhere'".

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2022

Philately is gaining popularity among millennials, many of whom see the creative pursuit as an escape from their screen-based lives, says 37-year-old Suzanne Rae, from North Yorkshire.

From The Guardian • Apr. 11, 2020

Philately is a delight that someone who hasn’t experienced it could never understand.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 7, 2019

Philately may seem a gentle avocation, but Postmaster General Larry O'Brien knows better.

From Time Magazine Archive

I do not however fancy Philately as a safety-valve.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, June 18, 1919 by Various