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enthusiasm - 4 dictionary results
en⋅thu⋅si⋅asm
[en-thoo-zee-az-uh
m]
–noun
| 1. | absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit; lively interest: He shows marked enthusiasm for his studies. |
| 2. | an occupation, activity, or pursuit in which such interest is shown: Hunting is his latest enthusiasm. |
| 3. | any of various forms of extreme religious devotion, usually associated with intense emotionalism and a break with orthodoxy. |
Origin:
1570–80; < LL enthūsiasmus < Gk enthousiasmós, equiv. to enthousí(a) possession by a god (énthous, var. of éntheos having a god within, equiv. to en- en- 2 + -thous, -theos god-possessing + -ia y3 ) + -asmos, var., after vowel stems, of -ismos -ism
1570–80; < LL enthūsiasmus < Gk enthousiasmós, equiv. to enthousí(a) possession by a god (énthous, var. of éntheos having a god within, equiv. to en- en- 2 + -thous, -theos god-possessing + -ia y3 ) + -asmos, var., after vowel stems, of -ismos -ism

Synonyms:
1. eagerness, warmth, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion, devotion.
1. eagerness, warmth, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion, devotion.
Antonyms:
1. indifference.
1. indifference.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To enthusiasm
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Enthusiasm
En*thu"si*asm\, n. [Gr. ?, fr. ? to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. ?, ?, inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism.]1. Inspiration as if by a divine or superhuman power; ecstasy; hence, a conceit of divine possession and revelation, or of being directly subject to some divine impulse. Enthusiasm is founded neither on reason nor divine revelation, but rises from the conceits of a warmed or overweening imagination. --Locke. 2. A state of impassioned emotion; transport; elevation of fancy; exaltation of soul; as, the poetry of enthusiasm. Resolutions adopted in enthusiasm are often repented of when excitement has been succeeded by the wearing duties of hard everyday routine. --Froude. Exhibiting the seeming contradiction of susceptibility to enthusiasm and calculating shrewdness. --Bancroft. 3. Enkindled and kindling fervor of soul; strong excitement of feeling on behalf of a cause or a subject; ardent and imaginative zeal or interest; as, he engaged in his profession with enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. --Emerson. 4. Lively manifestation of joy or zeal. Philip was greeted with a tumultuous enthusiasm. --Prescott.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : enthusiasm
Spanish:
entusiasmo,
German:
die Begeisterung,
Japanese:
熱中
enthusiasm
1603, from M.Fr. enthousiasme, from Gk. enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein "be inspired," from entheos "inspired, possessed by a god," from en- "in" + theos "god" (see Thea). Acquired a derogatory sense of "excessive religious emotion" (1660) under the Puritans; generalized sense of "fervor, zeal" (the main modern sense) is first recorded 1716. Enthusiastic in the modern sense is from 1764. Earlier derogatory sense especially seems to have colored modern sense of enthusiast (1764). Enthuse is an 1827 back-formation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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