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Definition of philately
: the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps : stamp collecting
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philately was our Word of the Day on 05/21/2017. Hear the podcast!
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Did You Know?
Who wouldn't love something tax free? George Herpin did. He was a French stamp fancier back in the 1860s, when stamps were a fairly new invention. Before stamps, the recipient of a letter - not the sender - had to pay the postage. Stamps forced the sender to foot the bill, and created a lot of stamp lovers among folks on the receiving end of the mail - and a mania for stamp collecting. "Timbromania" was toyed with as a term to affix to this new hobby - from the French word for stamp, "timbre." But when Herpin suggested "philatélie" (anglicized to "philately"), combining the Greek root phil-, meaning "loving," with Greek ateleia, meaning "tax-exemption," stamp lovers everywhere took a fancy to it and the name stuck.
Origin and Etymology of philately
French philatélie, from phil- + Greek ateleia tax exemption, from atelēs free from tax, from a- + telos tax; perhaps akin to Greek tlēnai to bear; from the fact that a stamped letter frees the recipient from paying the mailing charges — more at tolerate
PHILATELY Defined for English Language Learners
philately
playDefinition of philately for English Language Learners
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: the study or collection of postage stamps
Learn More about philately
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Spanish Central: Translation of philately Nglish: Translation of philately for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about philately
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