Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who loves cats.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person with ailurophilia; a cat-lover; compare ailurophobe.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek ailouros, cat + –phile.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek αἴλουρος (ailouros, "cat") + English -phile (from Ancient Greek φίλος (philos, "dear”, “beloved")).

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Examples

  • They don't really have a choice Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to become an alien, an aileron and an ailurophile.

    Lore Sj 2008

  • It would be someone who knew he was an ailurophile ... someone who knew where he lived ... someone who knew he was away from home on that particular morning.

    The Cat Who Sang For The Birds Braun, Lilian Jackson 1998

  • n. & a. (stimulant) causing wakefulness. ailurophile

    xml's Blinklist.com 2008

Comments

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  • Definition: a lover of cats =^,^=

    January 10, 2007

  • Sneer "cat lover" in plain spoken style
    Or "feliniac," sniff with superior smile,
    But to convey true disdain
    Embrace the arcane
    And dismiss the obsessed as "ailurophile."

    January 27, 2014