What is the word of Spanish or Portuguese origin starting with “a” and meaning enthusiast?

Question

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

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
@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

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者 · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-19 16:05:39Z

11

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

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answered Jul 3 '11 at 9:49

psmears

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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
1

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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