▪ I. passionate, a. (n.)
(ˈpæʃənət)
[ad. med.L. passiōnātus, corresponding to F. passionné (Pr. passionado, It. passionato), pa. pple. of passionner: see passion v.]
1. Easily moved to angry passion or wrath; prone to anger, hot-tempered, irascible.
| c 1450 tr. De Imitatione ii. iii. 43 A passionat man turniþ good into euel... A gode pesible man drawiþ all þinges to good. 1530 Palsgr. 320/1 Passyonate, inclyned sone to be in a passyon. 1613 Chapman Bussy D'Ambois Plays 1873 II. 142 Homer made Achilles passionate, Wrathfull, revengefull, and insatiate In his affections. 1781 Cowper Friendship 64 A temper passionate and fierce May suddenly your joys disperse At one immense explosion. 1841 Macaulay Ess., L. Hunt (1887) 614 Though passionate and often wrong⁓headed, he [Collier] was a singularly fair controversialist. |
† b. Possessed by angry passion, enraged, angry.
| a 1500 Colkelbie Sow 903 Susan angrit heirat, as oft woman is, Quhile passionat that all consaitis kennis, Tuk in disdane this gift. 1628 Hobbes Thucyd. (1822) 39 Men..are more passionate for injustice than for violence. c 1817 Hogg Tales & Sk. I. 278 He was violently passionate when he conceived himself wronged. |
c. Of language, etc.: Marked by angry passion, angry, wrathful.
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 220, I am amazed at your passionate words. 1693 J. Edwards Author. O. & N. Test. 240 This passionate expletive. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 107 ¶1 To vent peevish Expressions, or give passionate or inconsistent Orders. 1879 M{supc}Carthy Own Times II. xx. 93 The debates were long, fierce, and often passionate. |
2. Of persons: Affected with passion or vehement emotion; dominated by intense or impassioned feeling; enthusiastic, ardently desirous; † zealously devoted, attached, or loyal (obs.).
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 51 To renne hedlynge without feare vpon all ieopardyes, as communly passionate persones doth. 1650 Jer. Taylor Holy Living ii. §2 (1727) 65 That by enkindling thy desire to heavenly banquets, thou may'st be indifferent and less passionate for the earthly. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxiv. 127 Cicero, (a passionate defender of Liberty). 1671 tr. Frejus' Voy. Mauritania 15, I am..Your Majesties most Humble, most Obedient, and Passionate Servant. 1805 Southey Madoc in W. x. ii, He..swept with passionate hand the ringing harp. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. III. 573 Her husband's house and garden were daily thronged with her passionate admirers. 1879 Froude Cæsar xiv. 215 The army was now passionate for an engagement. |
b. Of language, etc.: Imbued with passion, marked or characterized by strong emotion; expressive of strong emotion, impassioned.
| 1581 Sidney Apol. Poetrie (Arb.) 22 Their passionate describing of passions. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. iv. iii. §42 To these he made a passionate speech, to exhort them to unite. 1771 Junius Lett. lviii. 303 Forgive this passionate language. 1845 Stoddart in Encycl. Metrop. (1847) I. 174/1 The interjection rises from a scarcely articulate sound to a passionate, and almost to an enunciative sentence. |
c. Of an emotion: Vehement.
| 1567 Drant Horace To Rdr., The one thicke powdered wyth manly passionat pangs, the other watered wyth wominishe teares. 1589 Greene Menaphon Ded. (Arb.) 3 By such passionate sorowes. 1660 F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 243 They bear a passionate affection to their Princes. 1813 M. Edgeworth Patron. vi, His declaration of passionate attachment to Caroline. 1818 Southey Ode Death Q. Charlotte iii, With a passionate sorrow we bewail'd Youth on the untimely bier. |
3. Subject to passion; swayed by the passions or emotions; easily moved to strong feeling; impressible, susceptible; of changeful mood.
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. xii. (Arb.) 44 To make him [God] ambitious of honour,..angrie, vindicatiue,..indigent of mans worships: finally so passionate as in effect he shold be altogether Anthropopathis. a 1619 Fletcher Wit without Money ii. iv, Thou art passionate; Hast thou been brought up with girls? c 1622 Ford, etc. Witch Edmonton ii. ii, You..have the power To make me passionate as an April day; Now smile, then weep; now pale, then crimson red. 1685 South Serm. (1697) I. 466 God will not..admit of the Passionate man's Apology, That he has so long given his Unruly Passions their Head, that he cannot now Govern or Controul them. 1877 Mrs. Oliphant Makers Flor. iii. 78 Those hot and sudden friendships which men of passionate temper rush into. |
† 4. spec. Affected with the passion of love, dominated or swayed by the ‘tender passion’. Obs.
| 1589 Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 32 Seeing by the shepheards passionate lookes, that the swain was halfe in loue. 1632 Shirley Changes i. ii, My wife is passionate and affects this Knight. 1704 Steele Lying Lover i. (1747) 18 Judge..what the condition of a passionate Man must be, that can approach the hand only of her he dies for. |
† 5. Moved with sorrow; grieved, sad, sorrowful.
| 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 118 These things..permit you not, for such losse of riches, possessions, children or friends to become passionate. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 544 She is sad and passionate at your highness Tent. 1613 Chapman Bussy D'Ambois Plays 1873 II. 157 Be not so passionate; rise, cease your tears. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 71 Ecbar (who loved him dearly) becomes so passionate, that for..some time [he] refused to be comforted. |
b. Inclined to pity, compassionate. Now dial.
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. iv. 121, I hope this passionate humor of mine, will change, It was wont to hold me but while one tels twenty. 1658 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. verse 16. iii. (1679) 190/2 Them that have had the longest and passionatest treaty of mercy. 1903 Eng. Dial. Dict., (Dorsetshire) Master's very good to his workpeople, he's so pash'nate. |
† c. That moves to compassion, pitiful. Obs.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (1590) 294 b, Melting with compassion at so passionate a sight. 1595 Spenser Col. Clout 427 In tragick plaints and passionate mischance. |
B. n. (elliptical use.) One who is influenced by passion, † esp. one who is in love (obs.).
| 1651 tr. De-las-Coveras' Don Fenise 78 It came into my fancie to give a serenade to my wife, counterfeiting the amorous passionate. 1751 Richardson Corr. (1804) III. 182 When the passionates (forgive the word) break fences, leap from windows, climb walls, swim rivers. 1819 J. Hodgson in J. Raine Mem. (1857) I. 234, I could..have joined the passionates in clapping. |
▪ II. † ˈpassionate, v. Obs.
[f. F. passionner = It. passionare, f. passion passion n.: see -ate3 6.]
1. trans. To excite or imbue with passion, or with a particular passion, as love, fear, wrath, etc.
| 1566 Painter Pal. Pleas. I. 107 b, This traitour..passionated not with Loue, but rather with rage and fury. 1612 Capt. Smith Proc. Virginia 88 It shall not so much passionate me, but I will doe my best for my worst maligner. 1652 Benlowes Theoph., Pestill for Author, Beaumont and Fletcher coyn'd a golden Way T'expresse, suspend, and passionate a play. 1658 tr. Bergerac's Satyr. Char. xi. 38 Thaile passionate an elegie by interrupted sobbs. |
2. To express or perform with passion.
| 1567 Painter Pal. Pleas. II. 330 Nowe leaue we this amorous Hermite, to passionate & plaine his misfortune. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iii. ii. 6 Thy Neece and I..want our hands And cannot passionate our tenfold griefe, With foulded Armes. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 246 Play-houses, where the parts of women are acted by women, and too naturally passionated. |
3. To desire passionately.
| 1652 Loveday tr. Calprenede's Cassandra i. 2 The Knight..whom powerfull Reasons obliged to passionate the others Ruin. |
4. To compassionate.
| 1638 Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (1654) II. 48, I finde more contentment in your passionating me. |
Hence ˈpassionating vbl. n. (in quot. exciting of angry passions).
| 1598 Barret Theor. Warres ii. i. 28 If there be any banding, secting or passionating among them, he is to appease and compound the same. |