# enthusiasm

Pronunciation: US say "in-THOO-zee-az-uhm" /ɪnˈθjuːziæz(ə)m/; UK say "in-THYOO-zee-az-uhm" /ɪnˈθjuːziæz(ə)m/

## Noun

1. A strong feeling of excited interest or eagerness toward something.
   - Simple: A strong feeling of excitement and interest in something.
   - _The volunteers tackled the cleanup with genuine enthusiasm._
   - _His enthusiasm for jazz led him to collect hundreds of old records._
2. A subject or activity that someone is keenly interested in.
   - Simple: A hobby or interest that someone really cares about and enjoys.
   - _Astronomy was the chief enthusiasm of his later years._
   - _Among her many enthusiasms, long-distance sailing came first._

## Noun

3. Possession by a god; the divine inspiration or frenzy thought to result from a deity entering a person. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A state in which a god is believed to fill a person, causing wild inspiration or frenzy.
   - _The oracle's enthusiasm was taken as proof that Apollo himself spoke through her._
   - _In his fevered enthusiasm, the seer foretold the city's fall._

## Origin

First attested in 1603, from Middle French enthousiasme, from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Ancient Greek enthousiasmós, formed from en ("in"), theós ("god"), and ousía ("essence").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/enthusiasm (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).