Bibliophilia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A profound passion for books involves not only the joy of reading them but also the eagerness to collect and preserve literary treasures
2. A deep-seated love for literature encompasses both the act of reading extensively and the commitment to gathering diverse books
3. An intense affection for written works includes both the pleasure derived from reading and the dedication to amassing valuable literary collections

Etymology: "Bibliophilia" is built from two Greek elements that were already fully established by the time anyone combined them. "Biblio-" comes from Greek "biblion," meaning "book" (a diminutive of "biblos," the papyrus or inner bark of the papyrus plant, which gave the Greeks their word for written material). "-philia" comes from Greek "philia," meaning "love" or "fondness," the same root that appears in "Philadelphia" and "hemophilia." The pairing is a straightforward compound, so the interest lies in the components rather than any twist in meaning. The Greek "biblos" traces back to the port city of Byblos in Phoenicia, which exported papyrus to Greece, so a word for "book" is ultimately bound up with a trade in plant material. The suffix "-philia" is the same element that pops up in medical and psychological terms, where it denotes an abnormal or intense attraction, so the word sits comfortably alongside its scientific cousins while describing an entirely benign passion for reading.

Synonyms: book love, book collecting, literary passion, book obsession, bibliomania