zealot

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromζηλωτής“emulator, zealous admirer, follower”
2. Latin · derived fromzēlōtēs
3. Middle English · inherited fromzelote
4. English todayzealot

Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admirer, follower”), from ζηλόω (zēlóō, “to emulate, to be jealous”), from ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”).