proxemics

Pronounced: prok-SEE-mix, noun

Notes: I hadn’t heard of this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word cryophilic means “preferring or thriving in the cold or at low temperatures”

First usage

This word came into English usage in the 1940s

Background / Comments

This is a word that I should have known, but I didn’t parse it properly. Our word is the combination of cryo- (cold, as in cryogenics) and -philic (liking; enjoying). Both of these comes from Greek – cryo comes from krýos, and -philic is the adjective form of -phile (lover of), as in “francophile”. The suffix -phile comes from the Greek word -philos (dear, beloved). It is said that there are people who like to sleep warm and others who like to sleep cool, and they are often married to each other.