Pronunciation: [I-'lu-rê-fIl] Listen

Definition: A cat fancier; a lover of cats.

Usage: It is amazing that in a land of so many ailurophiles, the word is used so rarely. Cat-lover may be a more straightforward term but it is also ambiguous and potentially misleading. Play it safe and use this: ailurophile. Don't like cats? Well, we have something for you, too—you are an "ailurophobe," someone who hates or fears cats. The adjective is ailurophilic, unless you mean "cat-like," that's ailuroid

Suggested Usage: An advantage of a rarely used word is that metaphorical usage has yet to be explored. You might try, "She's a bit to the catty side and I'm not an ailurophile." Of course, people are not the only creatures who might love kitties, "Now, in just what sense is your dog an ailurophile?"

Etymology: The first printed evidence of today's word appeared in 1927. The word is clearly a concoction of Greek ailur-os "house cat" + phili-os "friendly, fond of." Not much is known of the origin of ailuros. The compounding element phil- "love" was used widely by the Greeks, providing us a gold mine to 'borrow' from. We have accumulated such gems as bibliophile "book-lover," Francophile "Lover of things French," and, of course, dendrophile, the polite form for "tree-hugger" among many others.