Zealotized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Having been inspired or motivated with an intense, fanatical enthusiasm or passion for a cause or belief ; exhibiting or affected by an extreme commitment or fervor that resembles that of an uncompromising adherent
2. Marked by having embraced or transformed into an unwavering, excessively zealous advocate or supporter ; showing or influenced by a fervent, often aggressive devotion to a particular ideology or principle
3. Characterized by the condition of adopting or being filled with a pronounced, militant eagerness or dedication ; reflecting a state of extreme zeal or ardent fanaticism in support of a mission or set of ideas

Etymology: In ancient Greek, a "zēlōtēs" was someone who eagerly emulated another person or rivaled them, and the root "zēlos" meant zeal in the sense of ardent striving rather than fanaticism. The noun reached English through Church Latin "zelotes." Its darker edge came from history: in the first century, a Jewish faction fighting Roman rule called itself the Zealots, and their uncompromising resistance gave the name its association with fervent, unbending partisanship. The verb is built from ordinary parts. "Zealot" takes the suffix "-ize," which descends from Greek "-izein" and reached English through Latin and French, meaning to make into or to subject to a process. The past participle ending "-ed" then describes someone who has been brought into that state of uncompromising devotion.