Dictionary

phillumenist en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /fɪˈluːmənɪst/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From phil- (“love of”) + Latin lumen (“light”) + -ist.

Meanings

1. A person who collects match-related items, like matchbox labels, matchboxes, matchbooks, or matchbook covers.
   • To be a real phillumenist, however, requires that one take his assorted books and "shuck" them, "press" them, and then categorize them according to subject, era, size, and maker. 1984, Stephen Hughes, Pop Culture Mania: Collecting 20th-Century Americana for Fun and Profit, New York: McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, →OL, page 207:
   • There is a new and happy breed, the Phillumenists, better known as Match-box Label collectors. 1948 May, A. J. Cruse, “I am a Phillumenist: Match-Box Labels as a Hobby”, in Chambers's Journal, page 238:
   • This matchbox is a Swedish safety match from the Jönköping match factory. It's manufactured in 1858, just in time for the American Civil War. I like it very much. I guess that makes me something of a phillumenist. 2012 January 23, Jennifer Johnson, “Kit Nelson” (30:10 from the start), in Alcatraz, season 1, episode 3, spoken by Edwin James (Jonny Coyne):

Forms

Relateds

phillumeny

Translations (9)

ru филумени́ст (collector) · de Phillumenistin (collector) · sv filumenist (collector) · nl luciferdoosjesverzamelaar (collector) · de Phillumenist (collector) · uk філуменіст (collector) · fi fillumenisti (collector) · fr philuméniste (collector) · nl luciferdoosjesverzamelaarster (collector)