I was wondering if “fanatic” ironically could have come from the French language. Looking at the etymology I’m now wondering if “fanum tax” stems from Latin.
“devotee,” 1889, American English, originally of baseball enthusiasts, probably a shortening of fanatic, but it may be influenced by the fancy, a collective term for followers of a certain hobby or sport (especially boxing); see fancy (n.). There is an isolated use from 1682, but the modern word likely is a late 19c. formation. Fan mail attested from 1920, in a Hollywood context; Fan club attested by 1930.
Looking up etymologies always teaches something new. Now I can’t stop thinking of “fans” as “fanciers” basically.
I was wondering if “fanatic” ironically could have come from the French language. Looking at the etymology I’m now wondering if “fanum tax” stems from Latin.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/fan
Looking up etymologies always teaches something new. Now I can’t stop thinking of “fans” as “fanciers” basically.