— passionful , adj. — passionfully , adv. — passionfulness , n. — passionlike , adj.
/pash"euhn/ , n.
1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
3. strong sexual desire; lust.
4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.
5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.
6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.
7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.
8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.
9. violent anger.
10. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action ).
11. ( often cap. ) Theol.
a. the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.
b. the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.
12. Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr.
[ 1125-75; ME ( passion- (s. of passio ) Christ's sufferings on the cross, any of the Biblical accounts of these ( > late OE passion ), special use of LL passio suffering, submission, deriv. of L passus, ptp. of pati to suffer, submit; see -ION ]
Syn. 1. See feeling. 6. fervor, zeal, ardor. 9. ire, fury, wrath, rage.
Ant. 1. apathy.