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

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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

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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

The trouble with becoming an amateur food-safety inspector is that the job is never quite finished.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Trading in single-stock options contracts are near levels reached in 2021, when a new generation of amateur investors shook up Wall Street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Ferris grew up performing in amateur theatre in Belfast and Lisburn before going to drama school in London in 2012.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"It's absolutely heartbreaking. It really is emotionally devastating, because it's utter despair: no more lake," said amateur local historian David Favre, who lives in the Swiss village of Les Brenets.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Appealing though this laissez-faire undoubtedly was, especially for amateur musicians, it resulted in instrumental music that did not make great demands on players, their instruments, or indeed composers.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

The amateurs can be sloppy or reckless, though.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The selected members were no starry-eyed amateurs: Both Lavíll and Aramburú were professional actors in their countries, while the honey-voiced Penna won the fifth season of “The Voice Kids, Brasil” in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

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

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

As the pre-war avant-garde’s celebration of image-breaking, violent spectacle and weird hybridizing became muddy reality in the field, the amateurs outstripped the professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Like Holmes, Geological Survey geologist W J. McGee believed it was his duty to protect the temple of Science from profanation by incompetent and overimaginative amateurs.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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