amateur

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word amateur. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word amateur, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say amateur in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word amateur you have here. The definition of the word amateur will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofamateur, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Amateur

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

Borrowed from French amateur, from Latin amātor (lover), from amāre (to love).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæ.mə.tə/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈæ.mə.t͡ʃɚ/, /ˈæ.mə.t͡ʃʊɚ/, /ˈæ.mə.tɚ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

amateur (plural amateurs)

  1. (now rare) A lover of something.
    • 2006, John Hailman, Thomas Jefferson on Wine, University of Mississippi, published 2006, page x:
      he conducted extensive correspondence on wines with European suppliers, employing a wine vocabulary familiar to any modern amateur of wines.
  2. A person attached to a particular pursuit, study, science, or art (such as music or painting), especially one who cultivates any study, interest, taste, or attachment without engaging in it professionally.
    The contest is only open to amateurs.
  3. Someone who is unqualified or insufficiently skillful.
    The entire thing was built by some amateurs with screwdrivers and plywood.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

Adjective

amateur (comparative more amateur, superlative most amateur)

  1. Non-professional.
  2. Created, done, or populated by amateurs or non-professionals.
    amateur sports
  3. Showing a lack of professionalism, experience or talent.
    Duct tape is a sure sign of amateur workmanship.

Derived terms

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from French amateur.

Pronunciation

Adjective

amateur m or f (masculine and feminine plural amateurs)

  1. amateur

Noun

amateur m or f by sense (plural amateurs)

  1. amateur
    Synonym: aficionat

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French amateur.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌɑ.maːˈtøːr/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: ama‧teur

Noun

amateur m (plural amateurs, diminutive amateurtje n)

  1. amateur

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Indonesian: amatir
  • Papiamentu: amatùr

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin amātōrem (lover), from amō (to love). Compare Old French ameor, which was inherited from the same source but disappeared by the 15th century.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a.ma.tœʁ/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: a‧ma‧teur

Noun

amateur m (plural amateurs, feminine amatrice)

  1. lover of something
  2. amateur; hobbyist
    Coordinate term: professionnel

Adjective

amateur (feminine amateur or amateure or amatrice, masculine plural amateurs, feminine plural amateurs or amateures or amatrices)

  1. amateur, amateurish

Descendants

Further reading

Anagrams

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French amateur. Doublet of amatore.

Pronunciation

Noun

amateur m or f by sense

  1. amateur (non-professional)

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French amateur. Doublet of amador.

Pronunciation

Adjective

amateur m or f (masculine and feminine plural amateurs)

  1. amateurish, amateur
    Synonyms: aficionado, chapucero, diletante, novato

Noun

amateur m or f by sense (plural amateurs)

  1. amateur (person attached to a pursuit without pursuing it professionally)
    Synonym: profano

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading