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

As Béatrice’s amateur detective work pulls her in deeper, the strands begin to suggest a conspiracy, one marked by mysterious disappearances and the clandestine sway of the Vatican.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Those seasons of success - made The Bay a feared side for non-league clubs across England, and meant they were ready for the big games in a way most amateur sides are not.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

But their famous sparring session in 2010, when Joshua was still an amateur, soon became the topic of conversation.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

No doubt the TikTok amateur detectives would’ve momentarily shifted from true crime to the Chaplin twins, trying their damnedest to debunk what only the sisters could truly understand.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

There were amateur sailing prints on the walls and on the shelves Petoskey stones, pinecones, musty paperbacks.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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

William rode alongside top professional players and keen amateurs at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 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

“Those fool demons are using too much dynamite. They must have some amateurs on. Why, on the railroads we’d only have used half that charge to blast our way into a mountain.”

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep