cartophilia means The love of maps. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
CARTOPHILIA — [Noun] A profound affection for maps or collectible cards. From the combining form carto- (from Greek "chartēs", meaning "sheet of paper" or "map") and the suffix -philia (from Greek "philia", meaning "affection" or "love"). Unlike cartography, the disciplined craft of making maps, or bibliophilia, the veneration of the bound narrative, cartophilia is a devotion to the singular, flattened artifact. It is the tactile pleasure of unfolding a creased map to trace a forgotten footpath; the quiet absorption in the heraldic minutiae of a Victorian trade card; the melancholy of deciphering a medieval mappa mundi where dragons swim in the margins—a love not for the territory, but for the fragile, rectangular dreams that pretend to contain it.
noun
- The love of maps.
- The love of cigarette cards, trade cards, postcards, etc.