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Is there a word to describe someone who loves or enjoys bridges (look at, go over, or appreciate engineering).

Something similar to the way oenophile means someone who loves wine.

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    A bridge-lover is also probably a trophy-winner of the same.
    – tchrist ♦
    Mar 14, 2015 at 21:02
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    If you want something that will be understood it's "bridge lover" or "bridge-ophile".
    – Hot Licks
    Mar 14, 2015 at 21:38
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    @JimiOke it's definitely not that, I like them for rugged efficiency not art. So I'm not too much a fan of the Golden Gate, but I think freeway overpasses are nice or even a downed tree in a jungle over a ravine or river. Those are really aesthetic to me for some reason.
    – Neil
    Mar 15, 2015 at 0:56
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    Bridge contractors? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_bridge . Jes kiddin !!
    – Blessed Geek
    Mar 15, 2015 at 5:27
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    @tchrist might not a bridge lover be someone who loves playing the card game?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Mar 15, 2015 at 10:47

2 Answers 2

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The word is pontist.

1. A historic bridge enthusiast who enjoys either lobbying for preservation and/or who enjoys visiting and photographing historic bridges.
2. Anyone who enjoys working with or visiting/photographing bridges of any kind.

[Urbandictionary]

It also appears in one of the reviews of the book "Bridges of the World: Their Design and Construction" (By Charles S. Whitney):

A book to delight the heart and eye of a pontist whether he be an admirer and lover of bridges or a designed or builder..." -Saturday Review of Literature

It is coined from Latin pont-, stem of pons "bridge". (See: similar words)

Another example from the book "Historic Iron and Steel Bridges in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont" (By Glenn A. Knoblock):

This is a book intended for anyone who has an interest in bridges, whether they are a bridge enthusiast ( a "pontist"), civil engineer, native New Englander or someone from outside the region.

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    There's even a blog called The Happy Pontist written by a bridge designer.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Mar 14, 2015 at 20:54
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    I think this might be the word I'm looking for, but does it have to be for historic bridges? What about those ones you go over on the freeway while driving? There isn't a definition in a normal dictionary that I can locate :( Only Urbandictionary so I don't think it counts.
    – Neil
    Mar 14, 2015 at 21:02
  • @Neil: It appears that it covers all kind of activities that can indicate love of bridges. It covers loving them in general as well as photographing, visiting, designing, engineering etc.
    – ermanen
    Mar 14, 2015 at 21:09
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    @Neil: These kind of coined words are not always in big dictionaries but they are generally accepted in the domain that they are used. You are even lucky to find it on urbandictionary. I included supporting evidence from books about bridges. (and there are other books using it if you check Google Books)
    – ermanen
    Mar 14, 2015 at 21:36
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    Ermanen you did a really thorough and good job :)
    – Neil
    Mar 16, 2015 at 9:53
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The Greek word for bridge is γέφυρα, so a lover of bridges would be a gephyrophile (or maybe gefurophile, depending on how the Greek is to be transliterated).

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