infatuate

English

Etymology

From Middle English infatuate (“foolish”, adjective), from Latin infatuātus, past participle of infatuō.

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfætjuˌ(w)eɪt/, /ɪnˈfætʃuˌ(w)eɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (adjective, noun) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfætju(w)ət/, /ɪnˈfætʃu(w)ət/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

infatuate (third-person singular simple present infatuates, present participle infatuating, simple past and past participle infatuated)

1. (transitive) To inspire with unreasoning love, attachment or enthusiasm.
   • 1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XLIV, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC, page 308:

     If the mine was a “developed” one, and had no pay ore to show (and of course it hadn’t), we praised the tunnel; said it was one of the most infatuating tunnels in the land; driveled and driveled about the tunnel till we ran entirely out of ecstasies—but never said a word about the rock.

   • 1888, George Manville Fenn, chapter 15, in One Maid’s Mischief‎^[1], New York: Appleton, page 53:

     I declare the girl seems quite to infatuate the men, and see if trouble does not come of it.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To make foolish.
   • 1624, John Donne, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions‎^[2], London: Thomas Jones, pages 3–4:

     […] wee beggard our selues by hearkning after false riches, and infatuated our selues by hearkning after false knowledge.

   • 1718, Daniel Defoe, A Continuation of Letters Written by a Turkish Spy at Paris‎^[3], London: W. Taylor, Letter 4, p. 20:

     Heaven doubtless has infatuated these Infidels, and given them up to dote on the grossest Absurdities; other wise they could never swallow such open and notorious Impositions […]

Derived terms

• infatuated
• infatuative
• infatuator

 

Related terms

• fatuity
• fatuously
• fatuousness
• infatuation

 

Translations

To inspire with unreasoning love or attachment

• Bulgarian: замайвам (bg) (zamajvam)
• Catalan: infatuar (ca)
• Dutch: verdwazen (nl), verblinden (nl)
• Finnish: hullaannuttaa, ihastuttaa
• German: betören (de)
• Maori: whātītipa, whakatītipa, whakawairangi
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} вскружить голову (vskružitʹ golovu) , увле́чь (ru) (uvléčʹ), обольстить (ru) (obolʹstitʹ)
• Spanish: embrujar (es), encantar (es), infatuar (es)
• Thai: หลง (th) (lǒng), ลุ่มหลง (th) (lûm-lǒng)

Adjective

infatuate (comparative more infatuate, superlative most infatuate)

1. (obsolete) Infatuated, foolishly attracted to someone.
   • 1901, J. M. Barrie, Quality Street‎^[4], act III:

     He is infatuate about her.

2. (obsolete) Foolish, lacking good judgement.
   • c. 1521, John Skelton, Speke Parott:

     Helas I lamente the dull abuſyd brayne
     The enfatuate fantaſies the wytles wylfulnes
     Of on and hothyr at me that haue dyſdayne

   • 1623, Joseph Hall, Contemplations on the Historical Passages of the Old and New Testaments (original title Contemplations vpon the Historie of the Old Testament), Edinburgh: Ja. Robertson et al., 1796, Volume 2, Book 18, Contemplation 4, p. 167,^[5]

     There was never wicked man that was not infatuate, and in nothing more than in those things wherein he hoped most to transcend the reach of others.

   • 1918, George Bernard Shaw, “A Letter to Frank Harris, published by him in his Life of Wilde”, in Pen Portraits and Reviews‎^[6], London: Constable, published 1931, page 293:

     Wilde was in a curious double temper. He made no pretence either of innocence or of questioning the folly of his proceedings against Queensberry. But he had an infatuate haughtiness as to the impossibility of his retreating, and as to his right to dictate your course.

Noun

infatuate (plural infatuates)

1. (obsolete) Infatuated person.
   • 1771, Elizabeth Griffith, The History of Lady Barton, London: T. Davies & T. Cadell, Volume I, Letter 26, p. 183,^[7]

     […] she has a number of relations here, brothers and cousins, by the dozen; but they are all priests, and I am apprehensive that some of these infatuates may persuade her to quit me, and lock her up in a convent […]

   • 1911, Max Beerbohm, chapter 4, in Zuleika Dobson‎^[8], New York: John Lane, page 59:

     The idol has come sliding down its pedestal to fawn and grovel with all the other infatuates in the dust about my feet.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

infatuate

1. inflection of infatuare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

infatuate f pl

1. feminine plural of infatuato

Latin

Verb

īnfatuāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of īnfatuō

Spanish

Verb

infatuate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of infatuar combined with te