DILETTANTE

‖Dil′et‐tan″te (?), n.; pl. Dilettanti (#). [[It., prop. p. pr. of dillettare to take delight in, fr. L. delectare to delight. See Delight, v. t.]] An admirer or lover of the fine arts; popularly, an amateur; especially, one who follows an art or a branch of knowledge, desultorily, or for amusement only. The true poet is not an eccentric creature, not a mere artist living only for art, not a dreamer or a dilettante, sipping the nectar of existence, while he keeps aloof from its deeper interests. J. C. Shairp.