Meanings
plural turophiles · alternative tyrophile
- A gourmet/connoisseur of cheese.
1 more example
After all, I’ve spent 15 years following the U.S. cheese scene, first as a lone blogger and now as an author of two cheese books, so I’ve put in my time as a turophile. I don’t let anyone conflate “American cheese” with Kraft Singles—not when there is so much good craft cheese being made stateside. Cheese has come a long way in the U.S. since its production became industrialized in the 1800s, when we began pooling our milk supply to pump out cheap factory-made blocks. It took a brave band of dairy dames in the 1970s and ’80s—fondly known as “the goat ladies” in cheese circles—to kick off a full-blown artisan movement around the country.
2026 February 25, Tenaya Darlington, “American Whey: With artisan cheesemakers in every corner of the country, there’s never been a better time to be a cheese lover in the U.S.”, in Food & WineSynonyms: fromagophile, caseophile
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA gourmet/connoisseur of cheese.
Origin
- Ancient Greekτυρός“cheese”
- Englishturophile
From Ancient Greek τυρός (turós, “cheese”) + -phile. Modern coinage; attested since 1930s. Popularized by Clifton Fadiman on American TV quiz show Information Please in 1952.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French fromagophile
- fromagophilecheese-lover
Greek τυρόφιλος
- τυρόφιλος (tyrófilos)cheese-lover
Swedish ostfantast
- ostfantastcheese-lover
Cite this entry
turophile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turophile
“turophile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turophile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turophile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turophile.
Source: turophile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.