French word

philo

Pronunciation

IPA/filo/

Meaning

  • feminine nounphilosophy

Example

Elle aime la philo.

She likes philosophy.

Illustration for philo (philosophy)

More examples

Elle s'intéresse à la philo depuis le lycée.

She has been interested in philosophy since high school.

Core concept

A classroom discussion that uses questions about knowledge, values, and reality to examine ideas.

Common phrases

  • s'intéresser à la philo

    be interested in philosophy

  • étudier la philo

    study philosophy

Similar words

philosophie: The established academic field of philosophy, taught and researched as a subject.
matière: A general category for school subjects such as mathematics and history.
cours: A class taught by an instructor or the period devoted to it.
discipline: An area of academic study or research encompassing several specialties.

Definition in French

Forme familière et abrégée de «philosophie», surtout employée pour parler du cours ou de la matière à l'école.

Word origin

French philo is a shortening of philosophie, from Latin philosophia and ultimately Greek philosophia, formed from philos and sophia.

Usage tips

  • Philo is feminine, as in la philo, but school speech often omits the article in phrases such as J'ai philo.

Other meanings

  • philosophy classnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word