Origins
ad. L. fanatic-us, f. fanum temple: see -ATIC. Cf. Fr. fanatique.
Definitions
- 1. The condition of being, or supposing oneself to be, possessed. Obs.
- 2. The tendency to indulge in wild and extravagant notions, esp. in religious matters; excessive enthusiasm, frenzy; an instance, a particular form, of this.
- a. A fanatic person; a visionary; an unreasoning enthusiast. Applied in the latter half of the 17th c. to Nonconformists as a hostile epithet.
- b. In a weaker sense: Eagerness or enthusiasm in any pursuit.