English for Students

dilettante

How is the word dilettante pronounced?

The i in the first syllable and the final e are pronounced like the i in pit, sit, and hit. The vowel e in the second syllable is like the a in China. Some people pronounce the a like the a in act, pact, and hat. Others pronounce it like the a in bath and path (British English). The main stress is on the third syllable.

Any idea what the word means? Well, a dilettante is someone who tries to cultivate an area of interest without really making the necessary commitment. The person may do a course in painting for example, without taking the subject seriously. He merely dabbles in the subject.

Here are a few examples.

• I wouldn't take him too seriously. He is a musical dilettante.

• He often refers to his writings as the musings of a dilettante.

• The critics, as expected, did not take the young dilettante poet seriously.




COURTESY : The Hindu (The National News-Paper) - India

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