aficionado

noun

afi·​cio·​na·​do ə-ˌfi-sh(ē-)ə-ˈnä-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce aficionado (audio)
-fē-,
-sē-ə-
variants or less commonly afficionado
plural aficionados also afficionados
: a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity : devotee
aficionados of the bullfight
movie aficionados

Did you know?

Before there were nerds, geeks, stans, fanboys, or fangirls, there were aficionados. But not long before, relatively speaking. English borrowed aficionado in the early 1800s directly from Spanish, making a noun out of the past participle of the Spanish verb aficionar, which means "to inspire affection." Nerd, geek, and the rest can sometimes imply that the devotee in question is overdoing their ardor, but aficionado (which traces further back to the same Latin ancestor that gave us the English word affection) is a more neutral descriptor for someone with an abiding and thoughtful devotion to an interest or activity.

Examples of aficionado in a Sentence

Such are the issues that spark hot debate among pizza chefs and aficionados. I recently visited some of the most dedicated pizza makers in the United States to have them demonstrate what makes their pizza special. Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 30 June 2008
The quality varies with the individual authors, but both history buffs and aficionados of literary criticism will find food for thought here. Publishers Weekly, 8 Jan. 2001
When film aficionados speak of film noir, they usually refer to the look and attitude of certain films. As critics have found, such films do not form a genre; at best, they suggest a movement. Bonnie Smothers, Booklist, 15 Nov. 1999
Beyond scuba diving, North Carolina's Crystal Coast and Cape Lookout are famous for fishing. Although I'm not an aficionado myself, prospective anglers need only walk the docks of Moorehead City to book inshore or Gulf Stream excursions … James Sturz, New York Times, 26 Apr. 1998
an aficionado of the sci-fi series who has seen all the movies several times
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Harold Lawrence, 46, of Flint does HVAC work and is a poker aficionado. John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2024 But make no mistake: this film’s director, S. Craig Zahler, has quite the following, and Bone Tomahawk has slowly but surely become a cult classic that many horror aficionados watch during the Halloween season. Travis Bean, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024 Her daughter, Isha Ambani Piramal, being an art aficionado herself, quickly joined hands with her mother in the venture and took the lead for the gallery. Shreejaya Nair, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2024 Space aficionados often compare the drive to explore other worlds to the impulse that sent humans on voyages around the world, depicting our forebears’ curiosity about our own planet as an innate imperative curiosity that defines us as an alpha species. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for aficionado 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish aficionado, from past participle of aficionar "to inspire devotion or affection in," verbal derivative of afición "liking, interest," going back to earlier afeción, afección, borrowed from Latin affectiōn-, affectiō "feeling, feeling of attachment" — more at affection

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aficionado was in 1819

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Dictionary Entries Near aficionado

Cite this Entry

“Aficionado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aficionado. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

aficionado

noun
afi·​cio·​na·​do ə-ˌfish-(ē-)ə-ˈnäd-ō How to pronounce aficionado (audio)
-ˌfis-ē-
plural aficionados
: a person who really likes and appreciates something
an aficionado of Mexican food
science fiction aficionados
Etymology

Spanish, derived from Latin affectio "affection"

More from Merriam-Webster on aficionado

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