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enthusiasm

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enthusiasm


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en·thu·si·asm [in th(ooacute)zee àzz(schwa)m , en th(ooacute)zee àzz(schwa)m ] (plural en·thu·si·asms) noun

1.  excited interest:  passionate interest in or eagerness to do something
2.  engrossing interest:  something that arouses a consuming interest

[Late 16th century. Via late Latin from Greek enthousiasmos "possession by (a) god," formed from enthous "inspired," literally "with (a) god in," from theos "god."]


Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P) 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

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