bibliomania

noun

bib·​lio·​ma·​nia ˌbi-blē-ə-ˈmā-nē-ə 

-nyə

: extreme preoccupation with collecting books

bibliomaniac

ˌbi-blē-ə-ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

noun or adjective

bibliomaniacal

ˌbi-blē-ō-mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

adjective

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French bibliomanie, from biblio- biblio- + -manie -mania

Note: Coinage of bibliomanie has been attributed to the French physician and man of letters Guy Patin (1601-72). The word is used several times in Patin's correspondence, perhaps earliest in a letter of December 20, 1652 (see Correspondance complète et autres écrits de Guy Patin, online at biusante.parisdecartes.fr).

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bibliomania

• leishmania
• urania
• crania
• mania
• taenia
• hypomania
• miscellanea
• monomania
• megalomania

Medical Definition

bibliomania

noun

bib·​lio·​ma·​nia ˌbib-lē-ə-ˈmā-nē-ə, -nyə 

: extreme preoccupation with collecting books