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There is a word starting with "a" (along the lines of "afinados") meaning enthusiast, connoisseur or fan. What is it?

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How funny. was going to sugggest googling for "afinado" and have google say "Did you mean aficionado" - but that of course only works if the word you enter does not already exist ;)) – mplungjan Jul 3 '11 at 10:16
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@mplungjan 3: you can always assume I have googled before asking such a question. It goes without saying. – Peter Mortensen Jul 3 '11 at 13:56
It's always reassuring to know OP has already attempted to google an answer before posting a question. On the downside, the rest of us can't just pick up a few easy rep points by googling ourselves... :) – FumbleFingers Jul 3 '11 at 15:07

1 Answer

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Aficionado?

: a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity : devotee

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Yes, that's it. Thanks! I have now increased the world's knowledge by adding it to Wiktionary (as a synomym of enthusiast). – Peter Mortensen Jul 3 '11 at 14:09
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I am aware of the meaning of aficionado in English as a loan from Spanish. However, aficionado in Spanish has a different nuance; it conveys a very clear sense of amateurism. In Spanish, aficionado does not mean being an enthusiastic fan of something; it has a much softer and less "raving" edge to it. – CesarGon Jul 3 '11 at 22:33

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