passion

Where it comes from

Passion now means a powerful emotion or intense enthusiasm. The word came through French from Latin passio, suffering or undergoing, based on pati, to suffer or endure. Its central early English use was the Passion of Christ: the suffering leading to the Crucifixion. The word then broadened from an experience imposed on someone to strong states that seize or overwhelm a person, including anger and love. From there it could describe an absorbing enthusiasm for cooking, football, or any pursuit that powerfully engages someone.

How the meaning developed

Passion came to mean consuming feeling because it first described an experience powerful enough to be endured.