enthusiasm
/ɛnˈθuːziˌæzəm/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
ἐνθουσιασμός — divine inspiration, religious frenzy
Overview
Meaning Now
- Intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.
- Rapturous intensity of feeling; passion or fervor.
- Originally, divine possession or inspiration by a god.
Literal older meaning
having a god within
Language path
Ancient Greek → Late Latin → English
Earliest form
enthusiasmus
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
In Ancient Greek, the term referred to a state of being possessed by a god or divine spirit, such as the frenzy of the Bacchantes or the inspiration of an oracle. By the 17th century, the word was used in England to disparage religious zealots who claimed direct divine revelation, effectively labelling them as 'mad' or dangerously fanatical. Its positive association with 'great interest' did not become the primary meaning until the 18th and 19th centuries.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
ἐνθουσίασις
“inspiration by a god”
Action of being inspired
- Ancient Greek
ἐνθουσιασμός
“divine frenzy”
The state or condition
- Late Latin
enthusiasmus
“religious enthusiasm or fanaticism”
Borrowed into Scholastic Latin
- 17th century English
enthusiasm
“religious possession or fanatical zeal”
Often pejorative in initial English usage
Connections
Word parts
en-
prefix
in
the-
root
god
-asm
suffix
state or condition
Related across languages
Ancient Greek
ἐνθουσιάζω
to be possessed by a god
Explore next
Related to enthusiasm
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.