dilettante
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Italian dilettante, present participle of dilettare (“to delight”), from Latin dēlectāre (“to delight”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /dɪlɪˈtænti/, /dɪləˈtɒnti/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈdɪlɪˌtɑnt/, /ˈdɪlɪˌtænt/, /ˌdɪlɪˈtɑnt/, /ˌdɪlɪˈtænt/, /ˌdɪlɪˈtɑnteɪ/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
dilettante (plural dilettanti or dilettantes)
- An amateur, someone who dabbles in a field out of casual interest rather than as a profession or serious interest.
- Synonyms: amateur, dabbler
- Antonym: professional
- (sometimes derogatory) A person with a general but superficial interest in any art or a branch of knowledge.
Usage notes
This word is derived from Italian, not from French in which the -ante ending would be feminine. It is therefore correct for a person of any gender.
Derived terms
Related terms
- delectable
- delight
- dildo (by way of 'diletto')
Translations
someone who dabbles
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person with a general but superficial interest
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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See also
Adjective
dilettante (comparative more dilettante, superlative most dilettante)
- Pertaining to or like a dilettante.
Translations
pertaining to or like a dilettante
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References
- ^ “dilettante”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- ^ “dilettante”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further reading
- A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by H. W. Fowler (1926; Oxford at the Clarendon Press; London: w:Humphrey Milford), page 115
dilettante. Pl. -ti (pron. -tē). - dilettante” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary
- “dilettante”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “dilettante”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French
Pronunciation
Noun
dilettante m or f (plural dilettantes)
Further reading
- “dilettante”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
Interlingua
Noun
dilettante (plural dilettantes)
Italian
Etymology
From dilettare (“to delight”).
Pronunciation
Noun
dilettante m or f by sense (plural dilettanti)
Descendants
- → English: dilettante
- → German: Dilettant
Adjective
dilettante (plural dilettanti)