infracaninophile means A person who loves or admires underdogs. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “infracaninophile” is a great word
INFRACANINOPHILE — [Noun] A person who loves or admires underdogs. From the pseudo-Latin elements infra- ("below") + canine ("dog") + -phile ("lover"), literally "lover of the underdog"; coined in the early twentieth century by American writer Christopher Morley. Unlike a "philanthropist" (who acts from a broad, benevolent love of humanity) or a "partisan" (who is bound by fierce, often blind, loyalty to a side), an infracaninophile is defined by a quiet, principled affinity for the disadvantaged contender. It is the impulse to cheer for the ragged militia against the imperial legion, to root for the lone, weathered novel at the back of the bookstore shelf, to whisper encouragement to the scraggly sapling growing through a crack in the pavement—a loyalty not to a banner, but to the beautiful, futile geometry of the uphill battle.
Etymology
Pseudo-Latin plus a suffix, from infra- + canine + -phile. An early twentieth-century coinage by American writer Christopher Morley.
noun
- A person who loves or admires underdogs.“But I do quarrel with those who under the guise of friendship for labor assume the role of infracaninophiles and then proceed to sabotage everything that means anything to labor.”