amorous
amor (love) + ous (suffix forming adjectives)
The article from which the example sentence was taken focuses on an app that can help the user read facial expressions. But you can use these clues to figure out whether someone shares your amorous intentions: an eye-crinkling smile directed at you, movements of the body or head towards you, blushing, unconscious self-grooming, and gestures or speech patterns that mirror your own.
Not sure whether you should approach the target of your amorous intentions?
paramour
per (prefix meaning "through, entirely") + amor (love)
The French phrase "par amour" used to describe a strong love for Christ or the Virgin Mary. Later, it expanded to refer to any darling or sweetheart. Now carrying a less moral tone, a paramour can be the secret lover of either a woman or a man.
If it’s possible to have a love affair with a mountain, Aspen Highlands is my snowy paramour.
enamored
en (prefix meaning "into") + amor (love) + ed (past participle suffix)
As a verb, "enamor" has a somewhat magical tone. But who would dare claim to have the power to inspire love? The word is more commonly used as a participial adjective to describe how someone has fallen, perhaps foolishly or unreasonably, in love with something or someone.
It was the first time I’d seen anything like it in a video game and I was enamored.
amateur
amor (love) + or (suffix forming nouns)
The different spelling indicates that the word has been Frenchified. While the adjectives "amateur" and "amateurish" have a negative tone that suggests that something was poorly done, amateurs can earn more respect than professionals because their pursuit of an activity is connected to love rather than money.
"It is important to remember that amateurs built the Ark and it was the professionals that built the Titanic," Carson tweeted in October.
amity
amicus (friend) + ity (suffix forming abstract nouns)
"Amicus" is related to both "amor" and "amare." This connection can be seen in the Proto-Germanic "frijand" which refers to both a friend and lover. Similarly, the Old Norse "frja" and Gothic "frijon" mean "to love." These words are also connected to the idea of being free, which historically focused on the participants' non-slave status, but could also emphasize that love must come from one's free will.
Soon the kings or chiefs of other neighboring tribes came in bringing fruit, and everything was harmonious, and treaties of amity were made with all.
amicable
amicus (friend) + able (suffix forming adjectives)
Rather than describing the nature of a specific person, the adjective is mostly used to describe the mood between people as they try to reach an agreement. This is often made easier when both parties are amiable and amenable ("willing to comply or cooperate") to the others' wishes.
It was mostly amicable, with the intent to remain friends, since we share custody of two sons and continue to work in the same company.
amiable
amicus (friend) + able (suffix forming adjectives)
The word started as a confusion of the Old French "amable" which comes directly from the Latin verb "amare" and means "lovable." It was later changed to "amicable" to connect to "amicus" but "amiable" remains in use as a warmer and happier adjective to describe someone's personality.
He's an amiable Everyman, viewed with affection even by those who consider him naïve.
philanthropist
philos (loving, beloved) + anthropos (mankind) + ist (suffix meaning "one who does or makes")
The first letters connected to Santa were not addressed to him. Rather, they were from him (from parents who needed an indirect way to tell their children what they thought about their behavior). The Post Office considered these letters undeliverable and either returned to senders or sent them to the Dead Letter Office. When philanthropists stepped in, Santa eventually got his own zip code: 30351-1989.
Around the turn of the 20th century, however, philanthropists and charities expressed interest in fulfilling Santa’s role for poor children who sent him letters.
philosophy
philos (loving, beloved) + sophia (knowledge, wisdom) + y (suffix forming nouns)
Aristotle's sense of wonder about the world led to philosophical treatises on a wide range of topics, including logic, ethics, political theory, rhetoric, mathematics, biology, botany, and astronomy. On a smaller scale, philosophy can be "any personal belief about how to live."
For Aristotle, wonder is a primordial prompt to start thinking, a spur to philosophy, leading us to contemplate the greatest cosmological questions.
philosophical
philos (loving, beloved) + sophia (knowledge, wisdom) + y (suffix forming nouns) + ical (suffix forming adjectives)
Because philosophers think about everything as part of the larger picture of existence, they are often less concerned with the troubles of day-to-day living. According to Epictetus, a person following a stoical philosophy would be "sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy."
He's philosophical about the downturn, but worries about the next generation.
philology
philos (loving, beloved) + logos (word, speech) + y (suffix forming nouns)
Flipping the first two Greek roots creates the English word "logophile." But a logophile loves only words and might be content with a career as a linguist. A philologist applies linguistic knowledge to the study of written sources (usually from classical languages such as Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit) in order to learn more about literary and historical traditions.
At the University of Granada, where he received a scholarship to study philology, he fell in love with García Lorca’s work and began writing poetry.
philatelist
philos (loving, beloved) + ateleia (exemption from tax) + ist (suffix meaning "one who does or makes")
As the Greek root suggests, a stamp indicates that the postage fee was paid by the sender, so the recipient would not be taxed for the cost of delivery. This might have contributed to the popularity of philately. At one time, a philatelist was thought to have stampomania, but that term did not stick.
But, as every philatelist knows, more stamps will always be welcome.
bibliophile
biblion (book) + philos (loving, beloved)
While bibliolaters ("latreia" means "worship") might focus on the words in one book (usually the Bible), many bibliophiles love the stories and information within a variety of books, as well as the histories behind the books, and the bindings, materials, inks, and layouts of the physical books.
The campaign, which launches today, encourages bibliophiles to get together and make time to read.
oenophile
oinos (wine) + philos (loving, beloved)
An oenophile can also be a vintner (someone who makes wine) or vinologist (someone who studies wine and winemaking). As a sommelier, an oenophile would be in charge of recommending and serving wines that could enhance the dining experiences of foodophiles, chocophiles, and turophiles (the Greek "tyros" means "cheese").
Oenophiles and food lovers can parlay their passion into careers as sommeliers and chefs.
