metallophilic

M3E1T1A1L1L1O1P3H4I1L1I1C3

adjective

Characterized by attraction between metal ions

“the metallophilic cytoplasm”

OriginEnglish metallo- ← Ancient Greek μέτᾰλλον (métăllon) →
Scrabble 22
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Meanings

adjectivemetallophilic (not comparable)
  1. not comparablechemistryCharacterized by attraction between metal ions

    A good general name might be metallophilic attraction.

    1994, P. Pyykkö, J. Li, N. Runeberg, Chemical Physics Letters, volume 218, page 133
    1 more example

    The silver atoms are held together by the bridging alkynyls and a combination of metallophilic attractions between the silver centers and Lewis-acid-base interactions between the silver atoms and the encapsulated halide.

    2004, Ramon Vilar, “Anion-Directed Assembly”, in Jerry L. Atwood, Jonathan W. Steed, editors, Encyclopedia of Supramolecular Chemistry, →ISBN, page 83
  2. not comparablebiologyTending to adsorb metal ions

    the metallophilic cytoplasm

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekμέτᾰλλον (métăllon)
  2. Englishmetallo-
  3. Englishmetallophilic

From metallo- + -philic.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

metallophilic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metallophilic

MLA

“metallophilic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metallophilic. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “metallophilic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metallophilic.

Source: metallophilic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.