logophilia

(loh.goh.FEE.lee.uh)

n.

The love of words.

— logophile n. A lover of words.

Example Citation:

There is a disease which consists in loving words too much. Logophilia first manifests itself in childhood and is, alas, incurable.

— Peter Ackroyd, "Visions from an addiction to fiction," The Times (London), March 20, 2002

Earliest Citation:

There is little in Maryland's scenery from Ocean City to Oakland that is especially memorable. But almost all of it, except where you find real poverty, is pleasant. Maryland has a history of being tolerant of idiosyncrasy, from the Calverts' Catholicism to H. L. Mencken's logophilia.

— Michael Barone, "Growth and Government," The Washington Post, August 24, 1986

Notes:

When people ask me which member of the Word Spy's lexicon is my favorite, I always say logophilia because it means "the love of words," and that pretty much sums up this whole business for me.

Related Words:

celebriphilia

extremophile

paperphilia

Plutophile

retrophilia

Category:

Language (General)