passion
pronunciation
How to pronounce passion in British English:
UK [ˈpæʃn]
How to pronounce passion in American English:
US [ˈpæʃn]
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- Noun:
- strong feeling or emotion
- intense passion or emotion
- something that is desired intensely
- an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
- a feeling of strong sexual desire
- any object of warm affection or devotion
Word Origin
- passion
- passion: [12] Latin patī meant ‘suffer’ (it is the source of English patient). From its past participial stem pass- was coined in postclassical times the noun passiō, denoting specifically the ‘suffering of Christ on the cross’. English acquired the word via Old French passion, but its familiar modern senses, in which ‘strength of feeling’ has been transferred from ‘pain’ to ‘sexual attraction’ and ‘anger’, did not emerge until the 16th century. Also from the Latin stem pass- comes passive [14], etymologically ‘capable of suffering’.=> passive, patient
- passion (n.)
- late 12c., "sufferings of Christ on the Cross," from Old French passion "Christ's passion, physical suffering" (10c.), from Late Latin passionem (nominative passio) "suffering, enduring," from past participle stem of Latin pati "to suffer, endure," possibly from PIE root *pe(i)- "to hurt" (see fiend). Sense extended to sufferings of martyrs, and suffering generally, by early 13c.; meaning "strong emotion, desire" is attested from late 14c., from Late Latin use of passio to render Greek pathos. Replaced Old English þolung (used in glosses to render Latin passio), literally "suffering," from þolian (v.) "to endure." Sense of "sexual love" first attested 1580s; that of "strong liking, enthusiasm, predilection" is from 1630s. The passion-flower so called from 1630s.The name passionflower -- flos passionis -- arose from the supposed resemblance of the corona to the crown of thorns, and of the other parts of the flower to the nails, or wounds, while the five sepals and five petals were taken to symbolize the ten apostles -- Peter ... and Judas ... being left out of the reckoning. ["Encyclopaedia Britannica," 1885]