aficionado

[ uh-fish-yuh-nah-doh; Spanish ah-fee-thyaw-nah-thaw, ah-fee-syaw- ]

noun

, plural a·fi·cio·na·dos [uh, -fish-y, uh, -, nah, -dohz, ah-fee-thyaw-, nah, -, th, aws].

1. an ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast.

aficionado

/ afiθjoˈnaðo; əˌfɪʃjəˈnɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. an ardent supporter or devotee

   a jazz aficionado

2. a devotee of bullfighting

Word History and Origins

Origin of aficionado¹

First recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish: literally, “amateur,” past participle -ado ( -ate ¹ ) of aficionar “to engender affection,” equivalent to afición affection ¹ + -ar infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of aficionado¹

Spanish, from aficionar to arouse affection, from afición affection

Example Sentences

Another avian aficionado, who gave his details simply as Paul from London, said it had been an early start to get to the site in good time.

From BBC

In the Season 2 premiere, Nathan Lane plays Phillip, an opera aficionado who resorts to murder to deal with a nightmare audience member.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s no better way to test your mettle as a horror movie aficionado than to attend a nighttime screening while feet away from the corpses who helped bring those scares to life on the silver screen.

From Los Angeles Times

Horror aficionado Ryan Murphy is back with a third installment of his Netflix series, "Monster," casting actor Charlie Hunnam as the notorious 20th-century killer and grave robber, Ed Gein.

From Salon

Lianne Calvo, another fashion aficionado, has a different take on the pursuit of something new for her closet: Rather than embrace fast fashion, she prefers to shop secondhand.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• connoisseur
• devotee
• enthusiast
• fanatic