n.1 strong barely controllable emotion.
2 an outburst of anger (flew into a passion).
3 intense sexual love.
4 a strong enthusiasm (has a passion for football). b an object arousing this.
5 (the Passion) a Relig. the suffering of Christ during his last days. b a narrative of this from the Gospels. c a musical setting of any of these narratives.
Phrases and idioms:
passion-flower any climbing plant of the genus Passiflora, with a flower that was supposed to suggest the instruments of the Crucifixion. passion-fruit the edible fruit of some species of passion-flower, esp. Passiflora edulis: also called GRANADILLA. passion-play a miracle play representing Christ's Passion. Passion Sunday the fifth Sunday in Lent. Passion Week
1. the week between Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday.
2 Holy Week.
Derivatives:
passionless adj.
Etymology: ME f. OF f. LL passio -onis f. L pati pass- suffer