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

So she was an aficionado of classical music, for soundtracks or otherwise?

From The Daily Beast

For the aficionado or the neophyte, Comics is a useful overview of a richly creative period in a burgeoning art.

From The Daily Beast

One wine aficionado had given up on finding an ale she actually liked.

From The Daily Beast

Her parents had promised the horse aficionado her very own equine companion when she turned 10.

From The Daily Beast

As one hardcore football aficionado chatted to me, “the teams blow, so really who cares.”

From The Daily Beast

Every man and boy in Spain is an aficionado, a bullfight "fan," a frantic bullfight "bug."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• connoisseur
• devotee
• enthusiast
• fanatic