ailurophile

ailuro- (“cat”) +‎ -phile (“lover”), from Ancient Greek αἴλουρος (aílouros, “cat”) + φίλος (phílos, “dear, beloved”).

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: īlyo͝oəʹrəfīl', IPA^(key): /aɪˈljʊəɹəˌfaɪl/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: īlo͝oʹrəfīl', ālo͝oʹrəfīl', IPA^(key): /aɪˈlʊɹəˌfaɪl/, /eɪˈlʊɹəˌfaɪl/

ailurophile (plural ailurophiles)

1. A person with ailurophilia; a cat-lover.
   • 1971, E. F. Bleiler, “Introduction”, in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, Montague Rhodes James, page 4:

     He played the piano well, was an enthusiastic ailurophile, and persistently played solitaire while talking and writing.

   • 2001, Woodeene Koenig-Bricker, Praying With the Saints: Making Their Prayers Your Own, page 192:

     When the archbishop would send Philip on an assignment, he would leave the cat in the care of the archbishop, who apparently was not an ailurophile.

   • 2002, Carol Shields, Unless, page 195:

     Alicia is not a serious ailurophile, however; she neglects Chestnut, and Chestnut knows it.

   • 2005, Dan Rice, Bengal Cats: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Breeding, Health Care and Behavior, page 53:

     Your identity as an ailurophile (cat lover) is confirmed by cat hair on your clothes, but that is a distinction that most of us will gladly forfeit.

• cataholic
• catlover

• ailurophobe

• ailurophilia
• ailurophiliac
• ailurophilic

• “ailurophil(e)” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2^nd Ed.; 1989]

Coined based on Ancient Greek; see above.

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ailurophile m or f (plural ailurophiles)

1. ailurophile

ailurophile (plural ailurophiles)

1. ailurophile

• “ailurophile” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).