What kind of lover are you?

Definition:

one enthusiastic over fire or fireworks

About the Word:

The prefix pyro- has an ancestor in the Greek pyr meaning "fire". Pyro- appears in dozens of terms, ranging from pyrotechnics (fireworks) to pyromania (an irresistible impulse to start fires).

But a real fire remains one of the great pleasures, in particular over Christmas when the hearth of the household comes to life. So how do you light a fire responsibly? What follows is a gentle guide to how and why, from a practised pyrophile in my life in the countryside.
— Joy Lo Dico, Financial Times (London, Eng.), 18 Dec. 2021

Definition:

lover or connoisseur of wine

About the Word:

If oenophile - from the Greek oinos ("wine") + phile ("lover") - sounds too precious, alternatives include "wine wonk."

By the way, sommelier - the title of the wine steward at a restaurant - has humble origins. It comes from the Old French for "pack animal driver."

Take two glasses of good white wine and secretly add a few drops of red food coloring to one of them, and serious oenophiles will ascribe to an undoctored glass conventional white winey virtues like "crisp," "floral," and "lemon" while finding in the dyed wine "intense" notes of "cherry" and "raspberry"-terms normally reserved for bold reds.
— Natalie Angier, The American Scholar, Spring 2023

Definition:

a lover of cheese; a cheese fancier

About the Word:

This term - probably coined by an American radio host in 1938 - is far less commonly used than oenophile. Still, someone who passionately enjoys wine and cheese might be described as an oenophile turophile.

The pizza is made more delectable with the addition of creamy sesame sauce. If that's not enough, the cheesy experience continues in its crust with its bite-sized pockets filled with Cheese Fondue. Turophiles will definitely go nuts!
— Manila Bullein (New Delhi, Ind.), 19 Dec. 2022

Definition:

one attracted to foreign things (as manners, styles, or food)

About the Word:

The Greek xenos means a stranger or guest; xenophobia ("fear of strangers") is more familiar than xenophilia.

However, xenophile makes an appearance in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Xenophilius Lovegood was interested in ideas far outside the mainstream wizarding world.

Of course, going to see this Buddha statue requires one to walk a little bit, down a path with paddy fields on either side, in the village of Pankuliya. But we know that for the xenophile, this is a certainly not an inconvenience.
— Daily News (Colombo, Sri Lanka), 20 Feb. 2023

Definition:

one fond of or informed about what is ancient

About the Word:

Both palaios- and archaios- meant "ancient" in Greek, but while paleontologists study fossils, archaeologists study human artifacts. Of course, both paleontologists and archaeologists - and any lovers of antiquity - can be palaeophiles.

Pakistan also has an ample potential in tourism for the beau sabreur and history lovers, traditionalists or paleophile.
— The Financial Daily (Karachi, Pak.), 9 Jun. 2021

Definition:

one who approves or favors the German people and their institutions and customs

About the Word:

Not surprisingly, other countries have their own admirers too: Anglophiles (England), Francophiles (France), Italophiles (Italy), Russophiles (Russia), Japanophiles (Japan), and Sinophiles (China).

Yet I left a country I have long admired as a “sceptical Germanophile” giving Scholz and co some benefit of the doubt too.
— Anne McElvoy, The Observer (London, Eng.), 16 Apr. 2023

Definition:

cat fancier; lover of cats

About the Word:

Ancient Egyptians loved cats and honored them by depicting gods and goddesses in feline form (for example, the goddess Bastet); still, the prefix ailur- (meaning "cat") crept into English as a gift from the Greeks.

Ducolon and Herel are the definition of ailurophiles. To date, they've visited 22 cat cafes around the world. Many of their vacations were purposely structured around visiting cat cafes.
— Christopher Muther, The Boston Globe, 12 Mar. 2023

Definition:

one fond of star lore; an amateur astronomer

About the Word:

Astr, Latin for "star," turns up in the word disaster, which originally referred to "an unfavorable aspect of a star or planet."

However, the eclipse is going to be a hybrid solar eclipse, which means that some places will witness a total solar eclipse, whereas others will see an annular eclipse. So, if you are an astrophile residing near the places where the eclipse will be visible, you can witness this celestial event.
— Siasat Daily (New Delhi, Ind.), 11 Apr. 2023

Definition:

collector or connoisseur of phonograph records

About the Word:

Record lovers have long been coining terms for their passion. Gramophile comes from the Gramophone (phonograph) trademarked in the late 19th century.

Discophile dates to 1940. The similar audiophile (enthusiast of high-fidelity sound reproduction) appeared in 1951.

Also busy on Record Store Day was Lee Arnold and his colleagues at Adrian's Records when they were swamped by phonophiles at 8am.
— Guy Bell, Brentwood Gazette (brentwood, Eng.), 22 Apr. 2015

Definition:

devotee of motion pictures; cineast

About the Word:

Like bibliophile ("book lover"), cinephile was borrowed directly from French into English.

What's the difference between a cinephile and a "movie lover"? The distinction is vague, but cinephile - with its classical tone - suggests a scholarly interest.

The Herald reported this week that, according to the respected film website Rotten Tomatoes, Paddington 2 is the greatest ever movie, beating classics like Citizen Kane. Snobbish cinephiles may snarl at this judgement, though the Diary approves. In an era where diversity is demanded in the arts, isn’t it high time a flick starring a bear was lauded and applauded?>br>— Garry Scott, The Herald (Glasgow, Sc.), 1 May 2021