Bibliomaniacs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who has an excessive enthusiasm for collecting books, often to the point of obsession
2. a person who possesses an insatiable desire to acquire numerous books
3. someone who exhibits an uncontrollable passion for reading and amassing literary works

Etymology: Bibliomaniacs are people who collect books compulsively, and the plural is the form of "bibliomaniac," which is built from two Greek elements. "Biblio-" comes from Greek "biblion," meaning "book," and "-maniac" comes from Greek "manía," meaning "madness" or "frenzy," with "-maniac" being the agent form that names a person afflicted by that frenzy. Put together, the word literally describes someone driven mad by books. The second element follows a familiar pattern in English, where "-mania" names an obsessive enthusiasm and "-maniac" names the person who has it. Terms like "kleptomaniac" and "pyromaniac" use the same ending, so "bibliomaniac" joins a family of words describing compulsions.