enthusiasm

English

Etymology

First attested from 1603, from Middle French enthousiasme, from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”) + οὐσία (ousía, “essence”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈθjuːziæz(ə)m/, /-θɪu̯-/, /ɛn-/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation)

  (file)

• (yod dropping) IPA^(key): /-θuː-/

• Audio (General American)

  (file)

Noun

enthusiasm (countable and uncountable, plural enthusiasms)

1. Intensity of feeling; excited interest or eagerness.

   Try to curb your enthusiasm.

   They have a great enthusiasm for country music.

2. Something in which one is keenly interested.
   • 1968, Central States Archaeological Journal, volumes 15-16, page 154:

     My main enthusiasm is attending and seeing the progress and interest of collectors, to meet old friends, and hopefully to make new friends.

   • 2012, Nicholas Joll, Philosophy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, page 23:

     Other Adamsian enthusiasms included: fast cars; restaurants; Bach, the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits; […]

3. (obsolete or historical) Possession by a god; divine inspiration or frenzy.
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, chapter 1, in History of Western Philosophy:

     The intoxication that they sought was that of ‘enthusiasm’, of union with the god.

Related terms

• enthuse
• enthusiast
• enthusiastic
• enthusiastically
• penthusiasm

Translations

feeling of excited, lively interest

• Afrikaans: entoesiasme
• Arabic: حَمَاس m (ḥamās)
• Armenian: խանդավառություն (hy) (xandavaṙutʻyun), ավյուն (hy) (avyun), ոգեւորություն (hy) (ogeworutʻyun)
• Belarusian: энтузія́зм m (entuzijázm), захапле́нне n (zaxapljénnje), запа́л m (zapál)
• Bulgarian: въодушевле́ние (bg) n (vǎoduševlénie), ентусиа́зъм (bg) m (entusiázǎm), възто́рг (bg) m (vǎztórg)
• Catalan: entusiasme (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 熱情／热情 (zh) (rèqíng), 積極性／积极性 (zh) (jījíxìng)

• Czech: nadšení (cs) n, entuziasmus (cs) m
• Danish: entusiame c
• Dutch: enthousiasme (nl) n, geestdrift (nl)
• Esperanto: entuziasmo (eo)
• Finnish: innostus (fi), into (fi), innokkuus (fi), hanakkuus (fi), vimma (fi)
• French: enthousiasme (fr) m, passion (fr) f
• Galician: entusiasmo (gl) m
• Georgian: ენთუზიაზმი (entuziazmi)
• German: Begeisterung (de) f, Enthusiasmus (de) m, Schwärmerei (de) f
• Greek: ενθουσιασμός (el) m (enthousiasmós)

  Ancient: προθυμία f (prothumía)

• Hausa: ɗoki (ha)
• Hebrew: הִתְלַהֲבוּת (he) f (hitlahavút), הִתְפַּעֲלוּת f (hitpaalút)
• Hindi: जोश (hi) m (joś), उत्साह (hi) m (utsāh)
• Hungarian: lelkesedés (hu)
• Icelandic: ákafi m, eldmóður (is) m
• Ido: entuziasmo (io)
• Italian: entusiasmo (it), foga (it) f
• Japanese: 情熱 (ja) (じょうねつ, jōnetsu), 熱意 (ja) (ねつい, netsui), 意気込み (ja) (いきごみ, ikigomi), 気勢 (ja) (きせい, kisei), 熱情 (ja) (ねつじょう, netsujō)
• Javanese: grengseng (jv)
• Korean: 열광 (ko) (yeolgwang), 열정 (ko) (yeoljeong), 열의 (yeorui)
• Latin: studium (la) n
• Luxembourgish: Begeeschterung f
• Macedonian: ентузија́зам m (entuzijázam)
• Malayalam: താത്പര്യം (ml) (tātparyaṁ), ഉത്സാഹം (ml) (utsāhaṁ)
• Manx: ard-jeeanid f
• Maori: koharatanga, ngākau whakapuke
• Marathi: उत्साह m (utsāha), जोश m (joś)
• Norwegian: begeistring c

  Bokmål: entusiasme m

  Nynorsk: entusiasme m, eldhug m

• Persian: شور (fa) (šur)
• Polish: entuzjazm (pl) m
• Portuguese: entusiasmo (pt) m
• Romanian: entuziasm (ro) n
• Russian: энтузиа́зм (ru) m (entuziázm), воодушевле́ние (ru) n (vooduševlénije), запа́л (ru) m (zapál), восто́рг (ru) m (vostórg)
• Sanskrit: उत्साह (sa) m (utsāha)
• Scottish Gaelic: eud m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: entuzijàzam (sh) m, oduševljenje (sh), zános (sh) m, ùshit (sh) m

• Slovak: nadšenie n, entuziazmus (sk) m
• Slovene: navdušenje n
• Spanish: entusiasmo (es) m
• Swedish: entusiasm (sv) c
• Tagalog: entusyasmo
• Tamil: உத்வேகம் (ta) (utvēkam)
• Telugu: ఉత్సాహం (te) (utsāhaṁ)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tocharian B: spelkke
• Turkish: heves (tr), şevk (tr), coşku (tr)
• Ukrainian: ентузіа́зм m (entuziázm), запа́л m (zapál), запа́лення n (zapálennja)
• Uyghur: ئىشتىياق (ishtiyaq)
• Vietnamese: sự hăng hái (vi), sự nhiệt tình (vi)

(obsolete or historical) possession by a god; divine inspiration

• French: enthousiasme (fr) m

Anagrams

• Shunamites