Trivia Time

Amateur comes from a Latin word meaning what?

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amateur

American  

[am-uh-choor, -cher, -ter, am-uh-tur] / ˈæm əˌtʃʊər, -tʃər, -tər, ˌæm əˈtɜr /

noun

• amateurs
  plural

1. a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.

2. an athlete who has never competed for payment or for a monetary prize.

   Synonyms:

   nonprofessional

3. a person inexperienced or unskilled in a particular activity.

   Hunting lions is not for amateurs.

   Synonyms:

   novice, tyro, dilettante

4. a person who admires something; devotee; fan.

   an amateur of the cinema.

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adjective

1. characteristic of or engaged in by an amateur; nonprofessional.

   an amateur painter; amateur tennis.

amateur British  

/ ˌæməˈtɜː, ˈæmətə, -tʃə, -ˌtjʊə /

noun

1. a person who engages in an activity, esp a sport, as a pastime rather than professionally or for gain

2. an athlete or sportsman

3. a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a subject or activity

4. a person who is fond of or admires something

5. (modifier) consisting of or for amateurs

   an amateur event

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adjective

1. amateurish; not professional or expert

   an amateur approach

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• amateurism
  noun
• proamateur
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• amateurs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of amateur

1775–85; < French, Middle French < Latin amātor lover, equivalent to amā- (stem of amāre to love) + -tor -tor, replaced by French -teur (< Latin -tōr-, oblique stem of -tor ); see -eur

Explanation

An amateur is a person who does something for enjoyment, not money, like an amateur who paints as a hobby but earns a living another way. The adjective amateur often describes a pastime, like an amateur sports league that people join to get exercise and socialize together. Or it can have a negative meaning and describe something that's poorly done. If your guests leave your dinner table and stop for fast food on the way home, you may be ashamed of your amateur cooking skills. Amateur originated as a French word, meaning "lover of," not "expert."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

amateur amateurs

There are amateur bike races that start in the dark at 5:45 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

She fought tirelessly to get the sport sanctioned in Ireland and included in the Olympics, before going on to conquer both the amateur and professional codes.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

In images from 2024, Sánchez-Lavega and amateur astronomers Trevor Barry and Jean-Paul Oger noticed a faint, wavy band near Saturn's south pole.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

He said he is elevating Matt Swanson – removed as scouting director by former general manager Perry Minasian — to oversee all of the Angels’ scouting operations: amateur, professional and international.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

On the other hand, going pro would bring me the kind of financial security that amateur gymnastics could never give me.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

The amateurs can be sloppy or reckless, though.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

An old adage has it that strategy is for amateurs and logistics is for professionals.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

But as we round the first corner, almost all of the exhibits are the work of amateurs, conscripted from civilian life and professionalized into name, rank and number.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The actors, seasoned veterans as well as young amateurs, go through their lines and movements one last time before the curtain rises at the Wole Soyinka Theatre at the University of Ibadan, in southwest Nigeria.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Because when I'm done with Fred and these other amateurs, I’m going to be this show’s newest and biggest star!

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein