aficionado

American  

[uh-fish-yuh-nah-doh, ah-fee-thyaw-nah-thaw, ah-fee-syaw-] / əˌfɪʃ yəˈnɑ doʊ, ɑˌfi θyɔˈnɑ ðɔ, ɑˌfi syɔ- /

Sometimes afficionado

noun

plural

aficionados

1. an ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast.

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aficionado British  

/ afiθjoˈnaðo, əˌfɪʃjəˈnɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. an ardent supporter or devotee

   a jazz aficionado

2. a devotee of bullfighting

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Etymology

Origin of aficionado

First recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish: literally, “amateur,” past participle -ado ( -ate ¹ ) of aficionar “to engender affection,” equivalent to afición affection ¹ + -ar infinitive suffix

Example Sentences

Military aficionados will love the jargon and tech, and Mr. Wilson does a masterly job of combining Native American experience and ancestral connection with modern warfare for a satisfying resolution.

From The Wall Street Journal

Davis was a painter’s painter, a deeply thoughtful and idiosyncratic Black voice heard by other artists and aficionados, even while still in invigorating development.

From Los Angeles Times

I’m more aficionado than maniac, but I find them endlessly listenable, rewatchable — they just look great, for one thing — and interesting.

From Los Angeles Times

She was the first to speak and declared, “Any school that could produce such a well-rounded aficionado of ferns must be doing a superb job. I vote to keep Swanburne Swanburne!”

From Literature

Mostly the serif aficionados are put off by the ubiquity of their favorite retro font.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• connoisseur
• devotee
• enthusiast
• fanatic