Meanings
- obsoleterareuncountableHypochondria.
HYPOCHONDRIASIS, SOLICITUDE ABOUT THE HEALTH, HYPOCHONDRIA. Melancholia. Hypochondriaca. Biophilia. §63. 1. Descriptions of the disease.
1857, John M. Galloway, General and Special Therapeutics of Mental Diseases and Psychical Disorders Compiled and Edited According to Homeopathic Principals, 3rd edition, volume 3, Manchester: Henry Turner, translation of original by Gottlieb Heinrich Georg Jahr, page 287 - uncountablehuman sciencesThe biological drive to preserve oneself; love of life.
Biophilia (βίος, life; φιλία, love). The instinct of self-preservation common to man and the lower animals.
1892, Daniel Hack Tuke, editor, A Dictionary of Psychological Medicine: Giving the Definition, Etymology and Synonyms of the Terms Used in Medical Psychology with the Symptoms, Treatment, and Pathology of Insanity and the Law of Lunacy in Great Britain and Ireland, volume 1, London: J. & A. Churchill, page 135 - uncountableThe love of or empathy with nature and all living things.
Our deepest needs stem from ancient and still poorly understood biological adaptations. Among them is biophilia: the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms, not just other human beings but a diversity of ...
1979, E. O. Wilson, New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art, volume 84, page xxxii
Origin
Translations
Czech pud sebezáchovy, biofílie
- pud sebezáchovythe biological drive to preserve oneself; love of life
- biofílielove of nature and all living things
French biophilie
- biophilielove of nature and all living things
German Biophilie
- Biophilielove of nature and all living things
Italian biofilia
- biofilialove of nature and all living things
Polish biofilia, instynkt samozachowawczy
- biofiliathe biological drive to preserve oneself; love of life
- instynkt samozachowawczythe biological drive to preserve oneself; love of life
Portuguese biofilia
- biofilialove of nature and all living things
Romanian biofilie
- biofilielove of nature and all living things
Russian биофили́я
- биофили́я (biofilíja)love of nature and all living things
Spanish biofilia
- biofilialove of nature and all living things
Swedish biofili
- biofililove of nature and all living things
Turkish biyofili
- biyofililove of nature and all living things
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with biophilia
Cite this entry
biophilia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biophilia
“biophilia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biophilia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “biophilia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biophilia.
Source: biophilia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.