hobby1
- an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.
- a child's hobbyhorse.
- Archaic. a small horse.
- ride a hobby, to concern oneself excessively with a favorite notion or activity.Also ride a hobbyhorse.
Origin of hobby1
Examples from the Web for hobbyist
Contemporary Examples
So why is one considered fine art and the other the harmless pastime of a hobbyist?
Historical Examples
The moment you become a tradesman you cease to be a hobbyist.
In the Name of the Bodleian and Other EssaysAugustine Birrell
Glaring down at the hobbyist, Stonecypher gripped the staff and rotated thick wrists outward.
Thy Rocks and RillsRobert Ernest Gilbert
Dan's index finger failed to reach the trigger, for a guardian machine gun removed the hobbyist's head in a short efficient burst.
Thy Rocks and RillsRobert Ernest Gilbert
hobby1
- an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation
- archaic, or dialect a small horse or pony
- short for hobbyhorse (def. 1)
- an early form of bicycle, without pedals
Word Origin
hobby2
- any of several small Old World falcons, esp the European Falco subbuteo, formerly used in falconry
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for hobbyist
hobby
n.
late 13c., hobyn, "small horse, pony," later "mock horse used in the morris dance," and c.1550 "child's toy riding horse," which led to hobby-horse in a transferred sense of "favorite pastime or avocation," first recorded 1670s, shortened to hobby by 1816. The connecting notion being "activity that doesn't go anywhere." Probably originally a proper name for a horse (cf. dobbin), a diminutive of Robert or Robin. The original hobbyhorse was a "Tourney Horse," a wooden or basketwork frame worn around the waist and held on with shoulder straps, with a fake tail and horse head attached, so the wearer appears to be riding a horse. These were part of church and civic celebrations at Midsummer and New Year's throughout England.