aficionado

views updated Jun 27 2018

a·fi·ci·o·na·do / əˌfish(ē)əˈnädō; əˌfisyə-/ • n. (pl. -dos) a person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime: aficionados of the finest wines.ORIGIN: mid 19th cent. (denoting a devotee of bullfighting): from Spanish, ‘amateur,’ past participle of aficioner ‘become fond of’ used as a noun, based on Latin affectio(n-) ‘(favorable) disposition toward’ (see affection).