passion

See also: Passion

English

Etymology

From Middle English passioun, passion, from Old French passion (and in part from Old English passion), from Latin passio (“suffering”), noun of action from perfect passive participle passus (“suffered”), from deponent verb patior (“I suffer”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”), see also Old English fēond (“devil, enemy”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (faian, “to blame”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: păsh'ən, IPA^(key): /ˈpæʃən/
• (US) IPA^(key): [ˈpʰæʃən]

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æʃən

Noun

passion (countable and uncountable, plural passions)

1. A true desire sustained or prolonged.
2. Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or extreme hate.

   We share a passion for books.

   • 2011 January 16, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 1 – 1 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 December 2019:

     That was partly because of a swirling wind that made precision passing difficult and also a derby atmosphere where the emphasis seemed to be on passion rather than football.

3. Fervor, determination.
4. An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest.

   It started as a hobby, but now my motorbike collection has become my passion.

5. Sexual intercourse, especially when very emotional.

   We shared a night of passion.

6. (Christianity, usually capitalized) The suffering of Jesus leading up to and during his crucifixion.
   • 1543 June 8, Henry VIII of England, “The Nynthe Article. The Holy Catholike Churche.”, in A Necessary Doctrine and Erudicion for Any Chrysten Man, Set furth by the Kynges Maiestye of Englande, &c., imprinted at London:  […] by Thomas Berthelet, […], →OCLC:

     Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſters handes, ordained for that purpoſe, [...]

7. A display, musical composition, or play meant to commemorate the suffering of Jesus.
8. (obsolete) Suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress.

   a cardiac passion

9. (obsolete) The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition

   Antonym: action

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Of Power”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book II, § 3, page 116:

     A Body at reſt affords us no Idea of any active Power to move; and when it is ſet is motion its ſelf, that Motion is rather a Paſſion, than an Action in it: [...]

10. (obsolete) The capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.
    • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “IX. Century. [Experiment Solitary Touching Other Passions of Matter, and Characters of Bodies.]”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], paragraph 846, page 216, →OCLC:

      The Differences of Impreſsible and Not Impreſsible; Figurable and Not Figurable; Mouldable and Not Mouldable; Sciſsile and Not Sciſsile; And many other Paſsions of Matter, are Plebeian Notions, applied vnto the Inſtruments and Vſes which Men ordinarily practiſe; [...]

11. (obsolete) An innate attribute, property, or quality of a thing.

    [...] to obtain the knowledge of some passion of the circle.

12. (obsolete) Disorder of the mind; madness.
    • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], page 142, column 1:

      The fit is momentary, vpon a thought / He will againe be well. If much you note him / You ſhall offend him, and extend his Paſſion, / Feed, and regard him not.

Synonyms

• (fervor, determination): ardor, fire in the belly, zeal

Derived terms

• pash
• passionate
• passionflower
• passion fruit, passionfruit
• passionful
• passion pop
• passion-ridden
• Passion Sunday
• propassion

 

Related terms

• impassion
• impassive
• passionate
• passive
• passivity
• patience
• patient

 

Translations

any great emotion

• Albanian: pasion (sq) m
• Arabic: عَاطِفَة‎ f (ʕāṭifa), شَغْف‎ m (šaḡf)
• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ܚܫܐ‎ m (ħaššā’)

• Armenian: կիրք (hy) (kirkʿ)
• Azerbaijani: nəfs (az), ehtiras
• Belarusian: страсць f (strascʹ), запа́л m (zapál)
• Bulgarian: страст (bg) f (strast)
• Catalan: passió (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 激情 (zh) (jīqíng), 热情 (zh) (rèqíng), 热心 (zh) (rèxīn)

• Czech: vášeň (cs) f
• Danish: lidenskab (da) c, passion (da) c
• Dutch: passie (nl) f, hartstocht (nl) m
• Esperanto: pasio
• Finnish: intohimo (fi)
• French: passion (fr) f
• Galician: paixón (gl) f
• Georgian: ვნება (vneba), ჟინი (žini), გზნება (gzneba), გატაცება (gaṭaceba)
• German: Leidenschaft (de) f, Passion (de) f
• Greek: πάθος (el) n (páthos)

  Ancient: πάθος n (páthos)

• Haitian Creole: pasyon
• Hindi: जुनून (hi) m (junūn)
• Hungarian: szenvedély (hu), indulat (hu)
• Icelandic: ástríða (is) f
• Ido: pasiono (io)
• Irish: ainmhian f
• Italian: passione (it) f
• Japanese: 激情 (ja) (げきじょう, gekijō)
• Korean: 열정 (ko) (yeoljeong)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ڤیان‎ (ckb) (vyan)

• Latin: perturbatio f
• Latvian: kaislība f
• Lithuanian: aistrà
• Macedonian: страст f (strast)
• Maltese: passjoni f
• Maori: korou, awata, koharatanga
• Middle English: passioun
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: lidenskap (no) m, pasjon m

  Nynorsk: lidenskap m, pasjon m

• Old English: þolung f, weamet f, ontendnes f, mihtmod n, bryne m
• Persian: شوق‎ (fa) (šovq)
• Polish: pasja (pl) f
• Portuguese: paixão (pt) f
• Romanian: pasiune (ro) f
• Russian: страсть (ru) f (strastʹ), аффе́кт (ru) m (affékt), запа́л (ru) m (zapál) (colloquial)
• Scottish Gaelic: dìoghras m, dèine f, sonas m, fearg f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: страст f

  Roman: strast (sh) f

• Slovak: vášeň f
• Slovene: strast (sl) f
• Spanish: pasión (es) f
• Swedish: passion (sv) c, lust (sv) c, lidelse (sv) c, kärlek (sv) c, glöd (sv) n, hänförelse (sv) c, affekt (sv) c
• Tocharian B: eṅkäl
• Ukrainian: страсть f (strastʹ), при́страсть f (prýstrastʹ)
• Urdu: جذبہ‎ (jazba)
• Vietnamese: đam mê (vi)

fervor, determination

• Arabic: عَزْم‎ m (ʕazm)
• Armenian: կիրք (hy) (kirkʿ)
• Belarusian: страсць f (strascʹ), запа́л m (zapál)
• Bulgarian: увлечение (bg) n (uvlečenie)
• Dutch: passie (nl) f, hartstocht (nl) m
• Finnish: intohimo (fi), kiihko (fi), tunteen palo
• German: Leidenschaft (de) f, Passion (de) f
• Greek: πάθος (el) n (páthos)
• Hungarian: szenvedély (hu), buzgalom (hu), buzgóság (hu), elszántság (hu), lelkesedés (hu), hév (hu)
• Icelandic: ákafi m
• Latin: perturbatio
• Latvian: kaislība f
• Polish: pasja (pl) f
• Russian: страсть (ru) f (strastʹ), запа́л (ru) m (zapál)
• Sanskrit: अनुराग (sa) m (anurāga)
• Scottish Gaelic: dìoghras m, dèine f
• Slovak: vášeň
• Slovene: strast (sl) f
• Ukrainian: страсть f (strastʹ), запа́л m (zapál)

object of passionate love or strong interest

• Arabic: شَغَف‎ m (šaḡaf)
• Catalan: passió (ca) f
• Dutch: passie (nl) f, hartstocht (nl) m
• Finnish: intohimo (fi), intohimon kohde
• Georgian: ვნება (vneba), გატაცება (gaṭaceba)
• German: Leidenschaft (de) f, Passion (de) f
• Greek: πάθος (el) n (páthos), έρωτας (el) m (érotas)
• Hungarian: szenvedély (hu)
• Latin: perturbatio
• Maori: hemonga, unuora
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: pasjon m

  Nynorsk: pasjon m

• Polish: pasja (pl) f
• Portuguese: paixão (pt) f, ardor (pt) f
• Russian: па́ссия (ru) f (pássija), страсть (ru) f (strastʹ), пристра́стие (ru) n (pristrástije)
• Slovak: vášeň
• Ukrainian: при́страсть f (prýstrastʹ)

suffering of Jesus

• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ܚܫܐ‎ m (ħaššā’)

• Catalan: passió (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 受難／受难 (zh) (shòunàn)

• Cornish: passyon
• Czech: pašije (cs) f pl
• Dutch: passie (nl) f
• Finnish: kärsimys (fi)
• French: Passion (fr) f
• German: Passion (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌸𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (þulains)
• Greek: πάθη (el) n pl (páthi)
• Hungarian: passió
• Icelandic: passía f
• Japanese: 受難 (ja) (じゅなん, junan)
• Latin: passio f
• Maori: mamae
• Middle English: passioun
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: pasjon m

  Nynorsk: pasjon m

• Polish: pasja (pl) f, męka (pl) f
• Portuguese: paixão (pt) f
• Romanian: patimi
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мука

  Latin: muka (sh)

• Vietnamese: thương khó, khổ nạn

commemoration of the suffering of Jesus

• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ܚܫܐ‎ m (ħaššā’)

• Dutch: passie (nl) f
• Finnish: passio (fi), kärsimysnäytelmä
• German: Passion (de) f
• Hungarian: passió
• Latin: passio f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: pasjon m

  Nynorsk: pasjon m

• Polish: pasja (pl) f
• Portuguese: paixão (pt) f
• Slovene: pasijon m
• Volapük: Lügadramat

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} pasio
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} תאווה‎
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} ástríða (is) f
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} pasiono (io)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} pasiune (ro) f

Verb

passion (third-person singular simple present passions, present participle passioning, simple past and past participle passioned)

1. (obsolete) To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated.
   • 1593, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC; Shakespeare’s Venus & Adonis: […], 4th edition, London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent and Co. […], 1896, →OCLC:

     Dumbly she passions, frantically she doteth.

   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W[illiam] Griggs, […], [1880], →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     There did I ſee that low ſpirited Swaine, [...] hight Coſtard, (Clow[ne]. O mee) ſorted and conſorted contrary to thy eſtabliſhed proclaymed Edict and continent Cannon; Which with, o with, but with this I paſſion to ſay wherewith: / Clo[wne]. With a Wench.

   • 1820, John Keats, “(please specify the poem)”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC:

     she passioned
     To see herself escap'd from so sore ills

2. (transitive) To give a passionate character to.

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “passion”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• Pasions, Spinosa, saposin

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑsːion/, [ˈpɑ̝s̠ːio̞n]
• Rhymes: -ɑsːion
• Syllabification^(key): pas‧si‧on

Noun

passion

1. genitive singular of passio

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French passion, from Old French passion, borrowed from Latin passiōnem, ultimately from patior. Cognate with patience.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pa.sjɔ̃/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

passion f (plural passions)

1. (countable and uncountable) passion

Derived terms

• fruit de la passion

Related terms

• compassion
• pâtir

Further reading

• “passion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Noun

passion

1. Alternative form of passioun

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French passion.

Noun

passion f (plural passions)

1. passion

Descendants

• French: passion

Old English

Alternative forms

• passio

Etymology

From Latin passio (“suffering”), noun of action from perfect passive participle passus (“suffered”), from deponent verb pati (“suffer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑs.si͜un/

Noun

passion f (nominative plural passione)

1. passion of Christ

   • ðaet Eghwilc messepriost gesinge fore Osuulfes sawle twa messan, twa fore Beornðryðe sawle; and aeghwilc diacon arede twa passione fore his sawle, twa for hire; ― that Every mass-priest recites for Oswulf's soul two masses, two for Beornthryth's soul; and every deacon reads two passions for his soul. (Oswulf's Charters, c805)

Descendants

• >? Middle English: passioun

References

• John R. Clark Hall (1916), “passion”, in A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York: Macmillan
• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898), “passion”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin passio, passionem.

Noun

passion f (oblique plural passions, nominative singular passion, nominative plural passions)

1. passion (suffering)
   1. (specifically, Christianity) the ordeal endured by Jesus in order to absolve humanity of sin

Descendants

• Middle French: passion
  • French: passion
• → Middle English: passioun, pascioun, passion, passione, passioune, passiun, passyon, passyoun, passyun
  • English: passion, Passion
  • Scots: passion, patient

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (passion)
• passiun on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin passio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈɧuːn/
• Rhymes: -uːn

Noun

passion c

1. (romantic, intellectual, etc.) passion

   en brinnande passion ― a burning passion

2. a passion (object of passion)
3. (Christianity, almost exclusively in compounds) passion

Declension

Declension of passion
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	passion	passionen	passioner	passionerna
Genitive	passions	passionens	passioners	passionernas

Related terms

• passionerad

See also

• lidelse
• mani
• vurm
• åtrå

References

• passion in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• passion in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• passion in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)