fanatic

See also: fanàtic

English

WOTD – 3 February 2008

Sports 'fans' or fanatics

Alternative forms

• fanatick (obsolete)

Etymology

First attested in 1525. From Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fəˈnæt.ɪk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætɪk

Adjective

fanatic (comparative more fanatic, superlative most fanatic)

1. Fanatical.
   • 1817, Thomas Moore, Lalla-Rookh:

     But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast / To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

2. (obsolete) Showing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, overzealous.

Translations

fanatical

• Afrikaans: fanatikus (af)
• Arabic: مُتَعَصِّب (mutaʕaṣṣib)

  South Levantine Arabic: متعصب (mitʕáṣṣeb)

• Belarusian: фанаты́чны (fanatýčny)
• Bulgarian: фанати́чен (bg) (fanatíčen)
• Catalan: fanàtic (ca)
• Danish: fanatisk
• Dutch: fanatiek (nl)
• Esperanto: fanatika
• Estonian: fanaatiline
• Finnish: kiihkomielinen, fanaattinen (fi), kiihkeä (fi)
• French: fanatique (fr)
• German: fanatisch (de)
• Greek: φανατικός (el) m (fanatikós)
• Hungarian: fanatikus (hu)
• Italian: fanatico (it), maniaco (it), patito (it), seguace (it)
• Latvian: fanātisks
• Lithuanian: fanatiškas
• Macedonian: фанатичен (fanatičen)
• Maori: manawawera, ngākau whiwhita
• Persian: فناتیک (fa) (fanâtik)
• Plautdietsch: fanatisch
• Polish: fanatyczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: fanático (pt)
• Russian: фанати́чный (ru) (fanatíčnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: фана̀тичан

  Roman: fanàtičan (sh)

• Slovak: fanatický
• Slovene: fanatičen
• Spanish: fanático (es)
• Swedish: fanatisk (sv)
• Turkish: bağnaz (tr), fanatik (tr)
• Ukrainian: фанати́чний (fanatýčnyj)

showing evidence of possession by a god or demon

• Polish: nawiedzony, opętany (pl)
• Russian: одержи́мый (ru) (oderžímyj)

Noun

fanatic (plural fanatics)

1. A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause, especially in religion.
   • 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Cerberus: The Illusive Man Codex entry:

     The reclusive tycoon calling himself the Illusive Man is a human nationalist focused on advancing human interests, whatever the cost to non-humans. The Citadel Council regards him as a fanatic posing a serious threat to galactic security.

Translations

one who is zealously enthusiastic

• Arabic: مُتَعَصِّب m (mutaʕaṣṣib), غَيُور m (ḡayūr)
• Azerbaijani: təəssübkeş
• Belarusian: фана́тык m (fanátyk), фанаты́чка f (fanatýčka)
• Bulgarian: фанати́к (bg) m (fanatík), фанати́чка f (fanatíčka)
• Catalan: fanàtic (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 狂熱分子／狂热分子 (kuángrè fēnzǐ), 擁躉／拥趸 (zh) (yōngdǔn)

• Czech: fanatik m, fanatička f
• Danish: fanatiker c
• Dutch: fanaat (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: fanatikulo
• Estonian: fanaatik
• Finnish: kiihkoilija (fi), fanaatikko (fi)
• French: fanatique (fr) m or f
• Galician: fanático (gl) m, fanática f
• German: Fanatiker (de) m, Fanatikerin (de) f
• Hungarian: fanatikus (hu)
• Italian: fanatico (it) m, fanatica (it) f, patito (it) m, patita (it) f, maniaco (it) m, maniaca (it) f, seguace (it) m or f
• Japanese: 狂信者 (きょうしんしゃ, kyōshinsha), 熱狂者 (ねつきょうしゃ, netsukyōsha)
• Kazakh: тақуа (taqua)
• Korean: 광신자(狂信者) (ko) (gwangsinja), 열광자(熱狂者) (yeolgwangja)
• Latvian: fanātiķis m
• Lithuanian: fanatikas (lt) m
• Macedonian: фанатик m (fanatik)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fanatiker m

  Nynorsk: fanatikar m

• Persian: متعصب (fa) (mota'asseb), فناتیک (fa) (fanâtik)
• Polish: fanatyk (pl) m, fanatyczka (pl) f
• Portuguese: fanático (pt) m, fanática f
• Russian: фана́тик (ru) m (fanátik), фанати́чка (ru) f (fanatíčka), изувер (ru) m (izuver)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: фана̀тик m

  Roman: fanàtik (sh) m

• Slovak: fanatik (sk) m, fanatička (sk) f
• Slovene: fanatik, fanatičarka f
• Spanish: fanático (es) m
• Swedish: fanatiker (sv) c
• Turkish: mutaassıp (tr), fanatik (tr)
• Ukrainian: фана́тик m (fanátyk), фанати́чка f (fanatýčka), бузуві́р (uk) m (buzuvír)

See also

• fan
• crank
• extremist

Quotations

• A zealot can't change his mind. A fanatic can't change his mind and won't change the subject. —Winston Churchill (attributed)
• A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim. —George Santayana

Anagrams

• actifan

Occitan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fānāticus, possibly via French fanatique.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Adjective

fanatic m (feminine singular fanatica, masculine plural fanatics, feminine plural fanaticas)

1. fanatical

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French fanatique, from Latin fānāticus.

Adjective

fanatic m or n (feminine singular fanatică, masculine plural fanatici, feminine and neuter plural fanatice)

1. fanatic

Declension

Declension of fanatic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	fanatic		fanatică	fanatici	fanatice
	definite	fanaticul		fanatica	fanaticii	fanaticele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	fanatic		fanatice	fanatici	fanatice
	definite	fanaticului		fanaticei	fanaticilor	fanaticelor