dilettante

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Italian dilettante, present participle of dilettare (to delight), from Latin dēlectāre (to delight).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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dilettante (plural dilettanti or dilettantes)

  1. 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
  2. (sometimes derogatory) A person with a general but superficial interest in any art or a branch of knowledge.
    • 2008 March, Paul Graham, How to Disagree[1]:
      A comment like "The author is a self-important dilettante." is really nothing more than a pretentious version of "u r a fag."

Usage notes

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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

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Translations

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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.

See also

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Adjective

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dilettante (comparative more dilettante, superlative most dilettante)

  1. Pertaining to or like a dilettante.

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ dilettante”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  2. ^ dilettante”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Italian dilettante.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /di.lɛ.tɑ̃t/ ~ /di.le.tɑ̃t/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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dilettante m or f by sense (plural dilettantes)

  1. dilettante

Further reading

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Interlingua

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Noun

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dilettante (plural dilettantes)

  1. dilettante

Italian

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Etymology

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From dilettare (to delight).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /di.letˈtan.te/
  • Rhymes: -ante
  • Hyphenation: di‧let‧tàn‧te

Noun

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dilettante m or f by sense (plural dilettanti)

  1. amateur
  2. dilettante

Descendants

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  • English: dilettante
  • German: Dilettant

Adjective

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dilettante (plural dilettanti)

  1. amateur
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