dilettante

Where does the word "dilettante" come from? It comes from Latin delectare, passing through Italian before entering English (1733).

Dilettante’s story begins in Latin: delectare meant “to allure, delight, please.” A frequentative verb meaning to allure or delight. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as dilettare. Kept the sense of delighting. By 1600s, Italian speakers had reshaped it into dilettante. The present participle named a devoted lover of music or painting. It reached English by 1733 as dilettante. Borrowed for an admirer and amateur cultivator of the arts. Today, dilettante means a person with a superficial interest in an art or field of knowledge.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient delectare "to allure, delight, please", a frequentative verb meaning to allure or delight.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval dilettare "to delight", kept the sense of delighting.
3. Stage 3 · Italian · 1600s dilettante "a lover of an art, pursued for pleasure", the present participle named a devoted lover of music or painting.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1733 dilettante "an amateur devotee of an art or field", borrowed for an admirer and amateur cultivator of the arts.