Hobbyists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who partake in activities primarily for enjoyment rather than profit
2. People who invest time in special interests or pastimes to derive personal pleasure
3. Persons who engage in activities or interests as a leisure pursuit rather than as a profession

Etymology: "Hobbyists" is the plural of "hobbyist," a person who pursues a hobby. The noun is built from "hobby" plus the suffix "-ist," which marks a person associated with a practice or activity, as in "pianist" or "cyclist." The base word "hobby" has an older sense worth knowing: it came into English as a name for a small horse, a meaning that survives in the phrase "hobby horse." The jump from a horse to a leisure pursuit is one that English speakers took in stride, so the modern sense of "hobby" is best understood as a figurative extension of a concrete noun rather than a sudden invention. The suffix did the rest, turning a pastime into the person who pursues it. A painting by François Barraud, "Le Philatéliste" (The Philatelist, 1929), depicts a stamp collector, one type of hobbyist, which shows how readily the word applies to the kind of devoted amateur it describes.

Synonyms: enthusiasts, amateurs, aficionados, fans, buffs