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• ailurophile •

Pronunciation: ê-lur-ê-fail • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A cat-lover, a fancier of cats.

Notes: It is amazing that in a land of so many ailurophiles, today's Good Word is used so rarely. Cat-lover and cat-fancier are ambiguous and hence misleading. Today's word is precise and specific. If you don't like cats or are afraid of them, you are an ailurophobe. The adjective is ailurophilic, and the love of cats is ailurophilia.

In Play: This Good Word refers specifically to cat cats, not loose or spiteful women, or cool jazz musicians. That doesn't mean we cannot use it playfully: "Well, I find her a bit catty and I'm not an ailurophile." Of course, dogs tend to be ailurophiles in the strictest sense (yum-yum!). However, if your dog runs away from cats, it suffers from ailurophobia.

Word History: Today's Good Word first appeared in print around 1927. This means that a recent English-speaker connected Greek ailur-os "house cat" and phil-os "friendly, fond of" with an [o] and slipped it into English. Not much is known of the origin of ailuros, but the compounding element phil- "love" was used widely by the Greeks, providing us a gold mine to borrow from. So, we have dendrophiles, the polite form for "tree-hugger", cheese-loving turophiles, wine-loving oenophiles, and many, many others. Of course, here in Pennsylvania we have Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

Count me among the ailurophobes. I'm not afraid of the house cats, but how can anyone eat after a cat has walked across the table? And you know that if you die alone in a house with cats in it they will eat you. The only good thing I have to say about cats are they aren't dogs. I do like horses. My name requires it.

No offense to cat lovers,but I'm with you.

If you don't like cats or are afraid of them, you are an ailurophobe?
I recognize the frequent usage of homophobe as an insult, regardless of your actual attitude. This could explain it, but I thought the -phobe meant only fear. I've palled around with a number of gay friends and been especially close to two. I think they are wrong, both psychologically and morally, but I certainly don't fear them. Nor would I fear such desires if I had them within, which I don't happen to.

Is it then correct that homophobia means one doesn't like gay people. Seems more like homohostility or something. (This is not about morality, purely usage.)

I agree, Perry, that -phobe and -phile are not exactly opposites. We make compromises in speech. It is really hard to call a spade a spade. I do not fear cats, or even hate them in the abstract. I just can't be in the same room with one. It's the same with dogs. As a farm-boy I was taught that animals were useful and not to be mistreated. But I was never taught that they were to be petted or coddled. My elderly great-uncle really hated cats. He killed them by swinging them by the tail and hitting their heads against a fence post. Not a pleasant sight at all.
I do not hate nor fear homosexuals. I have of the same opinion and experience as you on this subject.