Thursday, October 9, 2008

aficionado

aficionado \uh-fish-ee-uh-NAH-doh\, noun:

An enthusiastic admirer; a fan.

An aficionado of Chinese food, Diffie was also known for carrying around a pair of elegant chopsticks, much the way a serious billiard player totes his favorite cue.
-- Steven Levy, Crypto
Aficionados of spy fiction may find the plot by itself enough to keep them reading -- the book is certainly never boring.
-- Erik Tarloff, "Hanky Versus Panky", New York Times, July 16, 2000
For one thing, they listened to classical records together; Sagan was a real aficionado of the musical masters.
-- Keay Davidson, Carl Sagan: A Life

Aficionado derives from Spanish aficionar, "to induce a liking for," from aficiĆ³n, "a liking for."

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