Fanatic
/fəˈnætɪk/noun
A person filled with extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal.
Did you know?Fanatic comes through Latin fanāticus from fānum, a sacred temple; in ancient usage, it described someone inspired or possessed by a deity, not just an overzealous believer.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
fanāticus
“of a temple; inspired by a deity, ecstatic, frenzied”
Latin
Latin
fānum
“a temple or sacred shrine”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“to set, put, place”
Late Latin
Latin
fanaticus
“possessed by a god; frenzied, wildly enthusiastic”
16th Century
English
fanatic
“a person regarded as inspired by a god; later, an excessively zealous person”
Modern English
English
fanatic
“an excessively zealous or irrational devotee”