• Ailurophiliac

    Pronunciation

    • RP enPR: Ä«lyo͝oÉ™'rÉ™fĭʹlÄ­.ăk, IPA: /aɪˌljʊəɹəˈfɪlɪ.æk/

    Origin

    From Ancient Greek αἴλουρος (ailouros, "cat") + English -philiac (-philia + -ac), on the pattern of paedophiliac.

    Full definition of ailurophiliac

    Adjective

    ailurophiliac

    1. Appropriate or pleasing to ailurophiles.
      • 1981: American Book Collector, volume 2, page 15 〃 (Moretus Press)The year 1927 also produced a splendidly ailurophiliac Black Cat, with woodcuts by Gyula Zilzer, in Middle European style.
      • 1989: Nicolas Slonimsky, Lectionary of Music, page 126 (McGraw-Hill; ISBN 007058222X, 9780070582224)She dies, he dies. They become transfigured in some sort of ailurophiliac heaven and live happily ever after.
      • 2001: Katharine M. Rogers, The Cat and the Human Imagination: Feline Images from Bast to Garfield, page 95 (University of Michigan Press
    ISBN 9780472087501)
      • Gautier’s love of cats was notable even in his ailurophiliac time and place: Nadar made a famous caricature of him sitting plump and happy in his study with a crowd of cats occupying every inch of available space.
      • 2006: Katharine M. Rogers, Cat, page 91 (Reaktion Books
    ISBN 1861892926, 9781861892928)
      • Théophile Gautier’s love of cats was notable even in his ailurophiliac time and place. One of his favourites, Madame Théophile, was ‘so called because she lived with me on a footing of conjugal intimacy’, following him everywhere and at mealtime often hooking morsels ‘on their way from my plate to my mouth’.
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