Etymology

aficionado

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Today it means: An amateur bullfighter. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Spanish aficionado
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The story

  1. Spanishafición
  2. Spanishaficionar
  3. Spanishaficionado
  4. English todayaficionado

Borrowed from Spanish aficionado (“fan, amateur”), past participle of aficionar (“to inspire fondness in someone, to get someone interested in something”). Doublet of affectionate.

First known use, by meaning

  • 19th c. An amateur bullfighter.
  • from 19th c. A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity (originally bullfighting); a fan or devotee.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.