'aficionado' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'aficionar,' where 'afición' meant 'affection or fondness.'

'aficionar' transformed into the English word 'aficionado' and eventually became the modern English word 'aficionados' for the plural form.

Initially, it meant 'a person with affection or fondness for something,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.