'arachnophilia' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'aráchnē' meaning 'spider' and 'philia' meaning 'love' or 'friendship'.

'arachnophilia' is a modern English coinage formed from Greek roots (aráchnē + -philia) via New Latin/modern combining forms; it was built in analogy to terms like 'arachnophobia' and other '-philia' compounds.

Initially the roots meant 'spider' and 'love/friendship' in Greek; over time the coined English term came to mean the psychological/behavioral tendency or strong liking specifically toward spiders.