Passion

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpæʃən/

Definitions

1. An intense emotion or strong enthusiasm for something, often driving deep commitment and fervor
2. A powerful and consuming emotional state involving intense desire, enthusiasm, or romantic attraction that strongly motivates behavior
3. Strong feelings of love, anger, or zealous devotion that compel someone toward an object or activity with great intensity

Etymology: The most striking twist is that "passion" once meant suffering, not emotion. It comes from Latin "passio," meaning "suffering," formed from "passus," the past participle of "patior," "to suffer." The same root gives English "patient," someone who endures, and "passive," something acted upon rather than acting. The sense of intense feeling grew out of the idea of being overwhelmed or acted upon by something. The most famous survival of the original sense is the Passion of Christ, the suffering and death of Jesus, which kept "passion" tied to pain long after the wider meaning of strong emotion had developed. The word reached English in the Middle Ages through Old French "passion," and it appeared in Old English as well, where it had the same religious and suffering-centred associations.

Synonyms: zeal, fervor, enthusiasm, ardor, devotion

Antonyms: indifference, apathy, disinterest, detachment, dispassion