'pictophilia' originates from a modern formation combining Latin 'pictus' (from the verb 'pingere', meaning 'to paint'—hence 'painted' or 'picture') and Greek 'philia' meaning 'love, fondness'.

'pictophilia' is a modern English coinage formed by joining the Latin-derived element 'pict-' (from 'pictus') with the Greek-derived suffix '-philia'; there is no attested Middle English or Old English antecedent for the compound.

The component elements originally meant 'painted' (pict-) and 'love' (-philia); the compound has come to mean 'love or strong attraction to pictures or images' and, in some contexts, specifically 'sexual attraction to images'.