heterophilic
|het-er-o-phil-ic|
C1
🇺🇸
/ˌhɛtəroʊˈfɪlɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌhɛtərəʊˈfɪlɪk/
affinity for diversity
Etymology
Etymology Information
'heterophilic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'heteros' meaning 'different' and 'philos' meaning 'loving'.
Historical Evolution
'heteros' and 'philos' combined to form the modern English word 'heterophilic'.
Meaning Changes
Initially, it meant 'loving different things', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'having an affinity for diverse types'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having an affinity or attraction to different or diverse types, often used in biological contexts to describe cells or organisms.
The heterophilic interactions between the cells were crucial for the experiment.
Synonyms
diverse-attractingvaried-affinity
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/07/17 07:38