Word of the Day ·

F4A1N1A1T1I1C3

fanatic

/fəˈnæt.ɪk/obsolete/ˈfæ.nət.ɪk/Multicultural London English/fəˈnaʔɪk/

adjective

What it means

  1. Fanatical.

    But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast / To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

    1817, Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh […] , London: Longman […]
  2. obsoleteShowing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, overzealous.

In a sentence

But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast / To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

1817, Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh […] , London: Longman […]

Where it comes from

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁s
  3. Proto-Italic*faznom
  4. Latinfānum
  5. Latinfānāticu
  6. Frenchfanatiqueinflu.
  7. Englishfanatic

First attested in 1525. Learned borrowing from Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.

Full entry for fanatic →

Subscribe with RSS.