enthusiast

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Enthusiast

English

[edit]
A chess enthusiast.

Etymology

[edit]

From Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιαστής (enthousiastḗs, an enthusiast, a zealot), from ἐνθουσιάζειν (enthousiázein, (intransitive) be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy, (transitive) inspire): see enthusiasm.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

enthusiast (plural enthusiasts)

  1. A person filled with or guided by enthusiasm.
    Synonyms: aficionado, amateur, freak, (computing) power user, (marketing) prosumer; see also Thesaurus:enthusiast
    • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter IV, in Francesca Carrara. [], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, [], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 28:
      But Charles Aubyn (for it was he) had, like most enthusiasts, overcalculated the influence of his eloquence; surprise had alone procured him a hearing, and the bold cavaliers around were little in the mood for a homily.
    • 2010, Niamh Nic Daeid, Fifty Years of Forensic Science: A Commentary:
      I would challenge any rock enthusiast to refrain from tapping his/her foot when listening to such music.
  2. (archaic) A person exhibiting over-zealous religious fervour.
[edit]

Translations

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]