a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons. Compare professional.
2.
an athlete who has never competed for payment or for a monetary prize.
3.
a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity: Hunting lions is not for amateurs.
4.
a person who admires something; devotee; fan: an amateur of the cinema.
adjective
5.
characteristic of or engaged in by an amateur; nonprofessional: an amateur painter; amateur tennis.
Origin: 1775–85; < French,Middle French < Latinamātor lover, equivalent to amā- (stem of amāre to love) + -tor-tor, replaced by French-teur (< Latin-tōr-, oblique stem of -tor); see -eur
1784, "one who has a taste for (something)," from Fr. amateur "lover of," from O.Fr., from L. amatorem (nom. amator) "lover," from amatus, pp. of amare "to love" (see Amy). Meaning "dabbler" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786.