'anglophiliac' originates from modern formation combining the prefix 'Anglo-' (from Latin/Old French 'Anglo-', meaning 'English') and the Greek-derived element '-philiac' (from Greek 'phílos', meaning 'loving').

'anglophiliac' was formed in modern English by attaching the suffix '-iac' or '-philiac' to 'Anglo-' (itself from Late Latin/Old French for 'English'); it is related to 'anglophile' (from Anglo- + Greek 'philos') and developed as a more technical or emphatic form.

Initially constructed simply to denote 'one who loves England' or 'having a love of English things,' the term has retained that basic meaning, sometimes with a slightly clinical or emphatic nuance.