enthusiast

From Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιαστής (enthousiastḗs, “an enthusiast, a zealot”), from ἐνθουσιάζειν (enthousiázein, “(intransitive) be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy, (transitive) inspire”): see enthusiasm.

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈθu.ziˌɪst/, /ɛn-/, /-ˈθju-/, /-ˌæst/, /-əst/
• (Received Pronunciation, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈθuː.ziˌæst/, /-θjuː-/, /-əst/
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ɪ̞nˈθʊʉ.ziˌəst/, /en-/, /-θïɯ-/, /-æst/

• Audio (Southern England)

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enthusiast (plural enthusiasts)

1. A person filled with or guided by enthusiasm.

   Synonyms: aficionado, amateur, freak, (computing) power user, (marketing) prosumer; see also Thesaurus:enthusiast

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter IV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 28:

     But Charles Aubyn (for it was he) had, like most enthusiasts, overcalculated the influence of his eloquence; surprise had alone procured him a hearing, and the bold cavaliers around were little in the mood for a homily.

   • 2010, Niamh Nic Daeid, Fifty Years of Forensic Science: A Commentary:

     I would challenge any rock enthusiast to refrain from tapping his/her foot when listening to such music.

2. (archaic) A person exhibiting over-zealous religious fervour.

• -phile

• “enthusiast”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “enthusiast”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “enthusiast”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

• Tushetians, sustaineth