aficionado
/əˌfɪʃ.(j)əˈnɑ.doʊ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.57 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
5
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity (originally bullfighting); a fan or devotee.
Example Sentences
- "To the "closet" taxonomist and aficionado of nomenclatural exercises, such emphasis may seem an intrusion."
- "A journey along the Conwy Valley line is one to savour for aficionados of scenic railways."
- "The marketing of this relatively new money has so far been limited mostly to ads on trade websites and targeted pushes on social media, where aficionados swap meme-fueled in-jokes about coin values rocketing to the moon."
Etymology
Etymology tree Spanish afición Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -āre Old Spanish -ar Spanish -ar Spanish aficionar Spanish -ado Spanish aficionadobor. English aficionado Borrowed from Spanish aficionado (“fan, amateur”), past participle of aficionar (“to inspire fondness in someone, to get someone interested in something”). Doublet of affectionate.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˌfɪʃ.(j)əˈnɑ.doʊ/
- British English: /əˌfɪʃ.(j)əˈnɑː.dəʊ/