fanatic

See also: fanàtic

Contents

English

WOTD – 3 February 2008

Sports 'fans' or fanatics

Alternative forms

• fanatick (obsolete)

Etymology

First attested in 1525. From Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fəˈnæt.ɪk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætɪk

Adjective

fanatic (comparative more fanatic, superlative most fanatic)

1. Fanatical.
   • T. Moore

     But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast / To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

2. (obsolete) Showing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, overzealous.

Translations

fanatical

• Afrikaans: fanatikus (af)
• Bulgarian: фанатичен (bg) (fanatičen)
• Finnish: kiihkomielinen, fanaattinen (fi), kiihkeä (fi)
• French: fanatique (fr)
• German: fanatisch (de)
• Greek: φανατικός (el) m (fanatikós)
• Hungarian: fanatikus (hu)
• Italian: fanatico (it), maniaco (it), patito (it), seguace (it)

• Macedonian: фанатичен (fanátičen)
• Maori: manawawera, ngākau whiwhita
• Persian: فناتیک‎ (fa) (fanâtik)
• Polish: fanatyczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: fanático (pt)
• Russian: фанати́чный (ru) (fanatíčnyj)
• Slovak: fanatický
• Turkish: bağnaz (tr), fanatik (tr)

showing evidence of possession by a god or demon

• Polish: nawiedzony m, opętany (pl) m

• Russian: одержи́мый (ru) (oderžímyj)

Noun

fanatic (plural fanatics)

1. A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause, especially in religion.

Translations

one who is zealously enthusiastic

• Bulgarian: фанатик (bg) m (fanatik)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 拥趸 (zh) (yōngdǔn)

• Czech: fanatik m, fanatička f
• Finnish: kiihkoilija (fi), fanaatikko (fi)
• French: fanatique (fr) m, f
• German: Fanatiker (de) m, Fanatikerin f
• Hungarian: fanatikus (hu)
• Italian: fanatico (it) m, fanatica f, patito (it) m, patita (it) f, maniaco (it) m, maniaca (it) f, seguace (it) m, f
• Macedonian: фанатик m (fanátik)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fanatiker m

  Nynorsk: fanatikar m

• Persian: فناتیک‎ (fa) (fanâtik)
• Polish: fanatyk (pl) m, fanatyczka f
• Portuguese: fanático (pt) m, fanática f
• Russian: фана́тик (ru) m (fanátik), фанати́чка (ru) f (fanatíčka)
• Slovak: fanatik (sk) m, fanatička (sk) f
• Swedish: fanatiker (sv) c

See also

• fan
• crank

Quotations

• A zealot can't change his mind. A fanatic can't change his mind and won't change the subject. —Winston Churchill (attributed)
• A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim. —George Santayana

Anagrams

• actifan