infatuated
transitive verb/adjective

- be inspired with an intense passion for

noun = infatuation

(Compact Oxford English Dictionary)

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WORD ORIGIN

Infatuate (circa 1471) stems from the Latin infatuatus, the past participle of infatuare, meaning "to make a fool of" (in = in + fatuus = foolish).

The word infatuated reminds us that all around the world, people are celebrating Valentine's Day. Flower shops will be open late into the evening as people (mainly men) make last minute purchases, line up at chocolate counters to get "sweets for their sweethearts" and try to find the right tone in a greeting card (funny? sentimental? serious?).

But how did all this get started anyway? It's a mystery. Valentine’s Day is rooted in both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. Today, the Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend claims that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, viewing this as an injustice, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

In another legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'Valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it was said that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- perhaps the jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed:

'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.

sources: Seipel, Arnie, The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day; Ball, Ann, A Litany of Saints; "Valentine's Day spending is global" Mast Media

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SYNONYMS

beguiled, besotted, bewitched, captivated, carried away, charmed, crazy about, enamoured, enraptured, fascinated, foolish, gone, hooked, in love, inflamed, intoxicated, mad about, obsessed, possessed, seduced, silly, smitten, spellbound, stuck on

(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today, say something like:

"Tune into any TV channel these days and one can see how society has become so INFATUATED with celebrities."