Etymology

arctophile

arc·to·phile
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Today it means: One who has a fondness for teddy bears, usually a collector of them. Full definition →

First used 1960sAncient Greek φίλος (phílos) ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰil-o-s ← Proto-Hellenic *árktos
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ŕ̥tḱos
  2. Proto-Hellenic*árktos
  3. Ancient Greekἄρκτος (árktos)
  4. Proto-Indo-European*bʰil-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰil-o-s
  6. Ancient Greekφίλος (phílos)
  7. English todayarctophile

From Ancient Greek ἄρκτος (árktos) + English -phile.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1960s One who has a fondness for teddy bears, usually a collector of them.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.