Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Passionate has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
A passionate individual.
"She was a passionate individual who dedicated her life to protecting endangered species."
To fill with passion, or with another given emotion.
"The speaker filled every syllable of her speech with a passionate intensity that captivated the entire audience."
In plain English: To be passionate is to feel very strong emotions about something, though it is important to note that this word is almost always used as an adjective rather than a verb.
"She passionately defended her friend against the unfair accusations."
having or expressing strong emotions
"She gave a passionate speech that moved everyone in the audience to tears."
Given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic, sexual, or both.
"He was a passionate lover who could not resist expressing his deep affection through intense words and tender touches."
In plain English: Passionate means having strong feelings and doing something with lots of energy because you really care about it.
"She is passionate about protecting the environment and volunteers every weekend to clean local parks."
Usage: Use passionate as an adjective to describe someone who feels intense emotions like love or anger, rather than using it as a verb which is rare in modern speech. Distinguish this from the noun "passion" when describing the feeling itself versus the person experiencing it.
The word "passionate" entered English in the 14th century via Middle French and Medieval Latin as passionat, originally describing someone who was deeply affected or easily angered by strong emotions. While it is formed from the root for "suffering," its modern sense of intense enthusiasm developed later to describe a person driven by powerful feelings rather than just suffering.