passionate

Etymology

From Medieval Latin passionatus, past participle of passionare (“to be affected with passion”); see passion.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpæʃənɪt/, /ˈpæʃənət/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

passionate (comparative more passionate, superlative most passionate)

1. Given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic, sexual, or both.
2. Fired with intense feeling.
   • 1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon, and other Poems on several Occasions, Preface, in Samuel Johnson (editor), The Works of the English Poets, London: J. Nichols, Volume 31, 1779, p. 93,

     Homer intended to shew us, in his Iliad, that dissentions amongst great men obstruct the execution of the noblest enterprizes […] His Achilles therefore is haughty and passionate, impatient of any restraint by laws, and arrogant of arms.

3. (obsolete) Suffering; sorrowful.
   • 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John, II. i. 544:

     She is sad and passionate at your highness’ tent.

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I. ii. 124:

     Poor, forlorn Proteus, passionate Proteus,

Noun

passionate (plural passionates)

1. A passionate individual.

Verb

passionate (third-person singular simple present passionates, present participle passionating, simple past and past participle passionated)

1. (obsolete) To fill with passion, or with another given emotion.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I.xii:

     Great pleasure mixt with pittifull regard, / That godly King and Queene did passionate [...].

2. (obsolete) To express with great emotion.
   • 1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, III. ii. 6:

     Thy niece and I, poor creatures, want our hands / And cannot passionate our tenfold grief / with folded arms.

Adjective

passiōnate

1. vocative masculine singular of passiōnatus

References

• passionate in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)