Etymologically
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amateur

Etymology and origin of the English word amateur

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈæ.mə.tə/ (UK); /ˈæ.mə.t͡ʃɚ/, /ˈæ.mə.t͡ʃʊɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French amateur (“lover”),[2][3][4] from Latin amātor (“lover, friend”),[2][5][4] from Latin amāre (“to love”).[2][3][5] French had restored the Latin-shaped form in the 16th century in place of Old French ameour.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A lover or admirer of something; one who has a taste for an art or pursuit (1784).[6][2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The sense “a person who pursues an art or activity as a pastime rather than as a profession” followed in 1786,[2][4][6] a meaning that had already developed in French.[2] Because amateurs often fall short of professional skill, the word soon took on a disparaging sense as well (1814),[6][2] though in sport it was long the professional who was looked down on.[4] The adjectival use dates from about 1838.[4]

Timeline

  • 1784 – a lover or admirer of something.[2][4][6][3]
  • 1786 – one who pursues an activity as a pastime, not a profession.[2][4][6]
  • 1814 – used disparagingly, of unskilled work.[6]
  • 1838 – as an adjective.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who takes part in an art, science, study or sport for pleasure rather than as a profession.
  2. An athlete who has never competed for money.
  3. A person who lacks professional skill.
  4. An admirer or devotee.

Adjective

  1. Done by or made up of amateurs; non-professional.
  2. Unskilful.

Word family

  • amateurism
  • amateurish
  • amateurishly
  • amateurishness
  • amateur night
  • amatory
  • amorous
  • dilettante

Usage notes

Several nouns share the sense of someone who pursues an activity without professional skill: a dabbler takes it up lightly, a dilettante is a superficial dabbler, and a tyro is a beginner.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Amateur.” Etymologically, 9 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/amateur. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .