Main Entry: dil·et·tante
Pronunciation: 'di-l&-"tänt, -"tant; "di-l&-'
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -tantes or dil·et·tan·ti /-'tän-tE, -'tan-tE/
Etymology: Italian, from present participle of dilettare to delight, from Latin dilectare -- more at DELIGHT
Date: 1748

1 : an admirer or lover of the arts
2 : a person having a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge : DABBLER
synonym see AMATEUR
- dilettante adjective
- dil·et·tant·ish /-"tän-tish, -"tan-, "di-l&-'/ adjective
- dil·et·tan·tism /-"tän-"ti-z&m, -"tan-, "di-l&-'/ noun

From The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

From reading the first definition, one might not consider this a characteristic that one would be obliged "to accept" about themselves. But the word has always, for me, carried the connotation of the second meaning: one who merely dabbles, who does not apply themselves to anything deeply, a jack of all trades, but master of none, with the added downside of there not being a "trade" per se, but merely a passing fancy in some intangible thing. Just so you know where I'm coming from.....

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