Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Hydrophilic
/ˌhaɪdrə(ʊ)ˈfɪlɪk/adjective
Readily attracting, dissolving in, or being wetted by water.
The Greek roots
ὕδωρ
hýdōr
water
φίλος
phílos
loving, dear
Literally: “water-loving”
The story of the word
Chemists needed a pair of opposites for the two ends of a soap molecule, and Greek supplied them: the hydrophilic head dips into water, the hydrophobic tail turns away. That single split explains detergents, cell membranes and why oil and vinegar refuse to stay mixed. The Greeks used φίλος for a friend, so the coinage quietly casts water as company you either seek or avoid.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → English
- First recorded
- 20th century
Same family
hydrantdehydratephilosophyphilanthropyhydrophobia
In a sentence
The coating is hydrophilic, so the droplet spreads instead of beading up.
One end of the molecule is hydrophilic and the other is not, which is the whole trick of soap.