Dilettantism

Building Blocks/Dictionary & Thesaurus/dilettantism.md

dictionary

Dilettantism

New Oxford American Dictionary

dil•et•tante | ,dilǝ'tänt |

noun (plural dilettanti | -‘täntē | or dilettantes)

a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge: a wealthy literary dilettante. • archaic a person with an amateur interest in the arts.

Derivatives

dilettantish | ,dilǝ’täntiSH | adjective
dilettantism | ,dilǝ’tän,tizǝm | noun

Origin

mid 18th century: from Italian, ‘person loving the arts’, from dilettare ‘to delight’, from Latin delectare.