enthuse

enthuse
verb (enthused; enthusing) Etymology: back-formation from enthusiasm Date: 1827 transitive verb 1. to make enthusiastic <
is enthused about the project
> 2. to express with enthusiasm intransitive verb to show enthusiasm <
a splendid performance, and I was enthusing over it — Julian Huxley
> Usage: Enthuse is apparently American in origin, although the earliest known example of its use occurs in a letter written in 1827 by a young Scotsman who spent about two years in the Pacific Northwest. It has been disapproved since about 1870. Current evidence shows it to be flourishing nonetheless on both sides of the Atlantic especially in journalistic prose.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • enthuse — is a 19c back formation meaning ‘to show enthusiasm’ or ‘cause enthusiasm in’, and is used with and without an object; you can enthuse people, enthuse over or about something, or simply enthuse (typically with direct speech): • As we talk he is… …   Modern English usage

  • enthuse — ► VERB 1) (often enthuse over) express one s great enthusiasm for something. 2) make enthusiastic …   English terms dictionary

  • Enthuse — En*thuse , v. t. & i. To make or become enthusiastic. [Slang] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • enthuse — index incite Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • enthuse — 1827, Amer.Eng., back formation from ENTHUSIASM (Cf. enthusiasm). Originally often humorous or with affected ignorance. Related: enthused; enthusing …   Etymology dictionary

  • enthuse — *thrill, electrify …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • enthuse — ☆ enthuse [en tho͞oz′, enthyo͞oz′; intho͞oz′, inthyo͞oz′ ] vi. enthused, enthusing [back form. < ENTHUSIASM] Informal to express enthusiasm vt. Informal to make enthusiastic …   English World dictionary

  • enthuse — /en thoohz /, v., enthused, enthusing. v.i. 1. to be or become enthusiastic; show enthusiasm: All the neighbors enthused over the new baby. v.t. 2. to cause to become enthusiastic. [1820 30, Amer.; back formation from ENTHUSIASM] Usage. The verb… …   Universalium

  • enthuse — verb 1) I enthused about the idea Syn: rave about, be enthusiastic about, gush over, wax lyrical about, be effusive about, get all worked up about, rhapsodize about; praise to the skies, extol; informal go wild/mad/crazy about/over/for, ballyhoo… …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • enthuse — UK [ɪnˈθjuːz] / US [ɪnˈθuz] verb Word forms enthuse : present tense I/you/we/they enthuse he/she/it enthuses present participle enthusing past tense enthused past participle enthused a) [intransitive] to talk in an excited way about something… …   English dictionary

  • enthuse — v. (colloq.) (D; intr.) to enthuse about, over * * * [ɪn θjuːz] over (colloq.) (D; intr.) to enthuse about …   Combinatory dictionary

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