zealot
One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or…One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Meaning
3 sensesOne who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.
Eiferer, Fanatiker, Zelot
фана́тикfanátik, фанати́чкаfanatíčka
фана́тикfanátyk, фанати́чкаfanatýčka
(Judaism, historical)A member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent in the first century, who advocated the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisted the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to convert the Jews.
Zelot
зело́тzelót
a member of an ancient Jewish sect in Judea in the first century who fought to the death against the Romans and who killed or persecuted Jews who collaborated with the Romans
(historical)A member of an anti-aristocratic political group in Thessalonica from 1342 until 1350.
зило́тzilót
Examples
4 sentencesTranslations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 3
By meaning 1
Origin
Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring iInitially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admirer, follower”), from ζηλόω (zēlóō, “to emulate, to be jealous”), from ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: zealotsSynonyms
4 synonyms- a fervent and even militant proponent of something:partisandrumbeater
Word family
13 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.