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The word enthusiasm originates from the Greek ἐνθουσιασμός from ἐν (en, “in”) and θεός (theós, “god”), meaning "inspired or possessed by [a] god".
The earliest known use of the noun enthusiasm is in the mid 1500s. OED's earliest evidence for enthusiasm is from 1548, in M. Luther's Chiefe Articles Christen Faythe.
Feb 5, 2024 · 1560s, pejorative, "one who believes himself possessed of divine revelations or special communication from God," from Greek enthousiastes "a person inspired," from enthousiazein (see enthusiasm). General sense (not always entirely pejorative) is from mid-18c. enthusiastic. *dhes-.
Apr 28, 2022 · What word did enthusiastically come from? The root word "enthusiasm" comes from the Greek entheos(en + theos, in, or caused by god), the word having been originally used for...
May 29, 2018 · Only in the nineteenth century, under the influence of the Romantic revival, did a more positive sense of enthusiasm — as emotion deeply felt or the heightened perception of poetic inspiration — begin to free the word from the negative overtones of religious disapproval.
For the first two hundred or so years that it was used in English, enthusiasm was primarily employed to refer to beliefs or passions that related to religion. By the beginning of the 18th century, however, the word began to be used to describe having strong feelings or interest in secular matters.
The noun enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, from enthous, meaning “possessed by a god, inspired.” It was originally used in a derogatory sense to describe excessive religious zeal.
The noun 'enthusiasm' finds its etymological origins in the Greek word 'enthousiasmos,' which was formed by combining 'en,' meaning 'in,' and 'theos,' meaning 'god' or 'divine.' In ancient Greece, 'enthusiasmos' originally referred to a divine inspiration or possession by a god.
Mar 19, 2020 · Enthusiasm comes into English from Greek, where it refers to the state of being possessed by a god. It was a religious term for a state of divine ecstasy or frenzy. A poet, for instance, might be filled with enthusiasm by his muse. The Latin and Greek meaning was the sense of the word when it was first used in English.
Oct 5, 2024 · Etymology. [edit] 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. [edit] IPA (key): /ɪnˈθjuːziæz (ə)m/, /-θɪu̯-/, /ɛn-/ Audio (Received Pronunciation):