fanatic

See also: fanàtic

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)

• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -ætɪk

Adjective

fanatic (comparative more fanatic, superlative most fanatic)

1. Fanatical.
   • 1817, Thomas Moore, Lalla-Rookh:

     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) Arabic: مُتَعَصِّب (mutaʕaṣṣib) South Levantine Arabic: متعصب (mitʕáṣṣeb) Belarusian: фанаты́чны (fanatýčny) Bulgarian: фанати́чен (bg) (fanatíčen) Catalan: fanàtic (ca) Danish: fanatisk Dutch: fanatiek (nl) Esperanto: fanatika Estonian: fanaatiline 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) Japanese: ファナーティック (fanātikku) Latvian: fanātisks Lithuanian: fanatiškas Macedonian: фанатичен (fanatičen) Maori: manawawera, ngākau whiwhita Persian: فناتیک (fa) (fanâtik) Plautdietsch: fanatisch Polish: fanatyczny (pl) m Portuguese: fanático (pt) Russian: фанати́чный (ru) (fanatíčnyj) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: фана̀тичан Roman: fanàtičan (sh) Slovak: fanatický Slovene: fanatičen Spanish: fanático (es) Swedish: fanatisk (sv) Turkish: bağnaz (tr), fanatik (tr) Ukrainian: фанати́чний (fanatýčnyj)

showing evidence of possession by a god or demon

Polish: nawiedzony, opętany (pl) Russian: одержи́мый (ru) (oderžímyj)

Noun

fanatic (plural fanatics)

1. A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause, especially in religion.
   • 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Cerberus: The Illusive Man Codex entry:

     The reclusive tycoon calling himself the Illusive Man is a human nationalist focused on advancing human interests, whatever the cost to non-humans. The Citadel Council regards him as a fanatic posing a serious threat to galactic security.

Translations

one who is zealously enthusiastic

Arabic: مُتَعَصِّب m (mutaʕaṣṣib), غَيُور m (ḡayūr) Azerbaijani: təəssübkeş Belarusian: фана́тык m (fanátyk), фанаты́чка f (fanatýčka) Bulgarian: фанати́к (bg) m (fanatík), фанати́чка f (fanatíčka) Catalan: fanàtic (ca) m Chinese: Mandarin: 狂熱分子／狂热分子 (kuángrè fēnzǐ), 擁躉／拥趸 (zh) (yōngdǔn) Czech: fanatik m, fanatička f Danish: fanatiker c Dutch: fanaat (nl) m or f Esperanto: fanatikulo Estonian: fanaatik Finnish: kiihkoilija (fi), fanaatikko (fi) French: fanatique (fr) m or f Galician: fanático (gl) m, fanática f German: Fanatiker (de) m, Fanatikerin (de) f Hungarian: fanatikus (hu) Italian: fanatico (it) m, fanatica (it) f, patito (it) m, patita (it) f, maniaco (it) m, maniaca (it) f, seguace (it) m or f Japanese: 狂信者 (ja) (きょうしんしゃ, kyōshinsha), 熱狂者 (ねつきょうしゃ, netsukyōsha) Kazakh: тақуа (taqua) Korean: 광신자(狂信者) (ko) (gwangsinja), 열광자(熱狂者) (yeolgwangja) Latvian: fanātiķis m Lithuanian: fanatikas (lt) m Macedonian: фанатик m (fanatik) Norwegian: Bokmål: fanatiker m Nynorsk: fanatikar m Persian: متعصب (fa) (mota'asseb), فناتیک (fa) (fanâtik) Polish: fanatyk (pl) m, fanatyczka (pl) f Portuguese: fanático (pt) m, fanática f Russian: фана́тик (ru) m (fanátik), фанати́чка (ru) f (fanatíčka), изувер (ru) m (izuver) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: фана̀тик m Roman: fanàtik (sh) m Slovak: fanatik (sk) m, fanatička (sk) f Slovene: fanatik, fanatičarka f Spanish: fanático (es) m Swedish: fanatiker (sv) c Turkish: mutaassıp (tr), fanatik (tr) Ukrainian: фана́тик m (fanátyk), фанати́чка f (fanatýčka), бузуві́р (uk) m (buzuvír)

See also

• fan
• crank
• extremist

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

Occitan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fānāticus, possibly via French fanatique.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Adjective

fanatic m (feminine singular fanatica, masculine plural fanatics, feminine plural fanaticas)

1. fanatical

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French fanatique, from Latin fānāticus.

Adjective

fanatic m or n (feminine singular fanatică, masculine plural fanatici, feminine and neuter plural fanatice)

1. fanatic

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	fanatic		fanatică		fanatici	fanatice
	definite	fanaticul		fanatica		fanaticii	fanaticele
genitive- dative	indefinite	fanatic		fanatice		fanatici	fanatice
	definite	fanaticului		fanaticei		fanaticilor	fanaticelor