The word
misanthrope is human to the core—literally. One of its parents is the Greek noun
anthrōpos, meaning “human being.” Its other parent is the Greek verb
misein, meaning “to hate.”
Misein also gave English
misogamy (“a hatred of marriage”),
misogyny (“hatred of women”),
misology (“a hatred of argument, reasoning, or enlightenment”), and
misoneism (“a hatred, fear, or intolerance of innovation or change”).
Anthrōpos also joined forces with
phil- (a combining form meaning “loving”) to form the Greek ancestor of
philanthropy(“active effort to help other people”). We also find
anthrōpos when we delve into the foundations of the word
anthropology.