philhellene

1 of 2

adjective

phil·​hel·​lene (ˌ)fil-ˈhe-ˌlēn How to pronounce philhellene (audio)
variants or philhellenic
ˌfil-hə-ˈle-nik How to pronounce philhellene (audio)
: admiring Greece or the Greeks
philhellene noun
philhellenism
(ˌ)fil-ˈhe-lə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce philhellene (audio)
noun
philhellenist
(ˌ)fil-ˈhe-lə-nist How to pronounce philhellene (audio)
noun

philhellenist

2 of 2

noun

phil·​hel·​len·​ist -nə̇st How to pronounce philhellenist (audio)
: philhellene

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Greek philellēn, from phil- + Hellēn Hellene

Noun

Greek philellēn + English -ist

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of philhellene was circa 1825

Rhymes for philhellene

See All Rhymes for philhellene

Browse Nearby Words

philharmonic pitch
philhellene
philhellenism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Philhellene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philhellene. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on philhellene

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about philhellene

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of foible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

Regarding the Incorrect Use of 'Decimate'

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What to Call the Inept, Incompetent, and Inferior

Strange Words for Body Functions

Where does 'curiosity killed the cat' come from?

Cattywampus, Taradiddle, and More Funny-Sounding Words

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?
See More

Popular

See More

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

What to Call the Inept, Incompetent, and Inferior

Strange Words for Body Functions
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Sounds Like... Quiz June 2026 Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All