Etymologically
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passion

Etymology and origin of the English word passion

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1175
Borrowed from
Old French passion via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Late Latin (passio)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpæʃ.ən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English passiun, passioun, borrowed from Old French passion and directly from Late Latin passiō (“suffering, enduring”),[2][3][4] from passus, the past participle of Latin patī “to suffer, endure”, a word of uncertain origin.[2][3] It replaced Old English þolung “suffering”, from þolian “to endure”.[2] It is related to patient, passive and compassion.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The sufferings of Christ on the Cross: about 1175 in the OED, about 1200 in Etymonline.[6][2] This was the earliest meaning of the Latin, Old French and Middle English words.[3][7]

Semantic evolution

By the early 13th century it was extended to the sufferings of martyrs and to suffering in general.[2][6] In Middle English it also meant a disease or affliction, and the state of being acted upon.[2][7] Strong emotion or desire is from before 1250 in Barnhart, the late 14th century in Etymonline,[3][2] from a Late Latin use of passiō to render Greek páthos “suffering, feeling”.[2] An outburst of anger is from the 16th century.[7] Strong sexual love is first recorded in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus in 1588,[3][2] a strong liking or enthusiasm from 1638,[3][2] and an object of desire by 1732.[2] The verb, to fill with passion, is from about 1468.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1175 – the Passion of Christ.[6]
  • a. 1225 – suffering.[6]
  • a. 1250 – strong emotion.[3]
  • 1588 – sexual love.[3]
  • 1638 – enthusiasm.[3]
  • 1732 – an object of desire.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A very strong feeling, such as love, anger or hate.
  2. Strong sexual love.
  3. Great enthusiasm for something, or the thing loved: music is her passion.
  4. An outburst of strong emotion, especially anger.
  5. (Passion) The suffering and death of Jesus, or a musical setting of the Gospel account of it.

Word family

  • passionless
  • passionful
  • passionfully
  • passionfulness
  • passionlike
  • dispassion
  • impassionate
  • passional
  • impassion
  • impassive
  • passionate
  • passive
  • passivity
  • patience
  • patient
  • compassion

Usage notes

Passion, fervor, fire, zeal and ardor all denote intense emotion; passion is a deep, overwhelming feeling.[8]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Passion.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/passion. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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