Origin of word help

[Todd Marx]

Hello,

I posted this here in July but never got what I think is a correct
answer. The bet still stands between my buddy and I:

My friend and I have been arguing over the origins of the word
"philatellic." I say it's a cross between the words "Philadelphia"
-where the original PO was and "tellic" in honor of William Tell.

My friend says it's a combination of "Phil" --in honor of Phillusius
--the greek he says invented the stamp and the Prussian port city of
Tellicia.

Who is right?

[Bob Finkle]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[French philatélie : Greek phil-, philo-, philo- + Greek ateleia,
exemption from payment (because a postage stamp indicates prepayment
of postage) (a-, without; see a-1 + telos, tax, charge; see tel- in
Indo-European Roots).]

Courtesy of Dictionary.com

[Unknown]

Hey Bob,

You made this up, right?

Todd

[Bob Finkle]

Yes Todd, I made it up. Phil has an ancient Etruscan origin and means
"to lick." Ately is, of course, from the well known Esperanto word
which means, "my backside." There ya go.....

[Unknown]

I go away for a vacation and I come home to find this? Who do you
think you are? I bet you're some littel punk kid who has 20 stamps
and thinks he's the next Clyde Jennings. Revenge will be sweet, my
little pretty. The only thing you'll be licking will be the wounds on
your face.