Monthly Archives: August 2018

Great Loves That Cannot Speak Their Name

There are a many large and broadly pervasive love forms all around us for which there are no official English words.  Unlike the following many lovers, for example, have no word for their love.

Aerophile, Ailurophile, Astrophile, Audiophile, Bibliophile, Biophile, Cartophile, Cinephile, Discophile*, Enophile, Ergophile*, Foodophile*, Heliophile, Hippophile, Iconophile*, Jazzophile*, Logophile*, Mycophile,  Musicophile*, Nemophilist, Neophile/NeophiliacOenophile, Orchidophile*, Ornithophile, Pluviophile*, Pogonophile, Retrophile, Thalassophile*, Turophile, Typhlophile*, Videophile*, Xenophile

* words with no official “-philia”‘ counterpart; a practical impossibility

“-philia” Neologisms 

Similarly missing are most loves of places there are only about 15 legitimate regional loves (ex. anglophile) even though such feelings have been strongly felt by every indigenous, transplanted and reminiscent person for every region in the world since the beginning of time.

In addition a paraphilia is a psychological focus of erotic interest. Some paraphilias mask or pre-empt the word for the more innocent popular love of the same thing. Examples include the love of helping people with specific disabilities, specific smells, specific animals, children, infants, trees, eating, cars or other machines, poetry, specific toys, the tactile feel of specific things, specific sports, muscles, learning, and sleeping.  Other such known loves (ex. flowers) have been pre-empted by other sciences.

There must be many other great, powerful, and popular ‘Loves’, between retrophilia and eager anticipation, which occupy our minds and permeate our lives while having no official English name.

All the Love in the World