enthusiasm English · revision 165

5 Oct 2026, 22:09 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ɪnˈθjuːziæzm̩/, /-θɪu̯-/; /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+ 
  ==Etymology==
− First recorded in 1603,^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary) although the OED's earliest quotation is from 1579.^(OED 1989) It is [[bor|la-lat|enthūsiasmus]] (also via [[frm|enthousiasme]]),^(AHD)^(Wiktionary) [[der|grc|ἐνθουσιασμός|tr=enthousiasmós|t=divine inspiration]],^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) [[der|grc|ἐνθουσιάζω|tr=enthousiázō|t=to be inspired or possessed by a god]],^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from ''éntheos'' “possessed by a god”, from ''en'' “in” + ''theós'' “god”.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+ It is [[bor|la-lat|enthūsiasmus]] (also via [[frm|enthousiasme]]),^(AHD)^(Wiktionary) [[der|grc|ἐνθουσιασμός|tr=enthousiasmós|t=divine inspiration]],^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) [[der|grc|ἐνθουσιάζω|tr=enthousiázō|t=to be inspired or possessed by a god]],^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from ''éntheos'' “possessed by a god”, from ''en'' “in” + ''theós'' “god”.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
  
− Under the Puritans the word acquired the derogatory sense “excessive religious emotion” (1650s);^(Etymonline) the modern sense “fervour, zeal” is recorded by 1716.^(Etymonline)
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Possession by a god; divine inspiration or prophetic frenzy.^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(Wiktionary) The American Heritage Dictionary dates this first sense in English to 1603,^(AHD) the OED to 1579.^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Under the Puritans the word acquired the derogatory sense “excessive religious emotion” (1650s).^(Etymonline) In 1660 Henry More wrote that if Christianity were ever exterminated it would be by enthusiasm, meaning a mistaken belief in one's own divine inspiration.^(AHD)^(OED 1989) The modern sense “fervour, zeal” is recorded by 1716,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and from 1916 the word also meant an object of enthusiasm, a craze.^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1579 – “possession by a god, prophetic frenzy”.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1603 – the date given by Merriam-Webster and the American Heritage Dictionary.^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD)
+ * 1650s – derogatory, “excessive religious emotion”.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1660 – “fancied inspiration”.^(OED 1989)^(AHD)
+ * 1716 – “fervour, zeal”.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1916 – “an object of enthusiasm; a craze”.^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Great excitement for or interest in something; eagerness.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Something that arouses such interest.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(historical)'' Possession by a god, or religious fanaticism.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[hyperenthusiasm]]
+ * [[overenthusiasm]]
+ * [[unenthusiasm]]
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[enthuse]]
+ * [[enthusiast]]
+ * [[enthusiastic]]
  
  ==References==