Definition of "enthusiasm" []

• Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause. (noun)
• A source or cause of great excitement or interest. (noun)
• Archaic Ecstasy arising from supposed possession by a god. (noun)
• Archaic Religious fanaticism. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""Even if people do not normally attribute the term enthusiasm to the Germans, believe me, we are enthusiastic," K+S chairman Norbert Steiner said on a conference call with investors."
• "I didn't know this, but the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek and Theos, which means "in God.""
• "They show that, quite understandably, the enthusiasm is accompanied by uncertainty."