philatelist

The word 'philatelist' is a modern scholarly creation from the 19th century, coined in French as philatéliste. It was formed by combining Greek roots to describe a stamp collector. The first element, phil-, means "loving." The second, atel-, is derived from atelēs, meaning "exempt from tax" or "franked," referring to the stamp's function as proof of pre-paid postage, thus freeing the recipient from payment. The suffix -ist denotes a practitioner. Therefore, a philatelist is literally "a lover of things related to pre-paid postage," a term invented to lend classical dignity to the new hobby of stamp collecting.

Structure: phil (love) + atel (exemption from tax) + ist (person who does) phil: From Greek philos (loving, dear). Denotes love or affinity. atel: From Greek atelēs (exempt from tax, free of charge), itself from a- (not) + telos (tax, charge). In this context, it refers to the pre-paid postage stamp. ist: A suffix from Greek -istēs, via Latin and French, denoting a person who practices or is concerned with something.