Pronunciation: ' di-l ə - ˌ tänt, - ˌ tant; ˌ di-l ə - '
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -tantes or -tan · ti \ - ' tän-t ē , - ' tan-t ē \
Etymology: Italian, from present participle of dilettare to delight, from Latin dilectare ― more at DELIGHT
Date: 1748
1 : an admirer or lover of the arts
2 : a person having a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge : DABBLER
synonyms see AMATEUR
– dilettante adjective
– dil · et · tant · ish \ - ˌ tän-tish, - ˌ tan-, ˌ di-l ə - ' \ adjective
– dil · et · tan · tism \ - ˌ tän- ˌ ti-z ə m, - ˌ tan-, ˌ di-l ə - ' \ noun