Enthusing

/ɛnˈθjuːzɪŋ/ verb

Definition

The present participle of 'enthuse': to show or express great enthusiasm about something.

Etymology

From enthuse (back-formation from enthusiasm in the 1800s) + -ing. Rather than deriving from the Greek like enthusiasm, 'enthuse' was created backwards from an existing noun.

Kelly Says

Enthuse is actually a 'back-formation'—people were so enthusiastic about enthusiasm that they invented a verb from the noun, working backwards! Linguists call this creative language-making, and it happens all the time in English.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.