The meaning of the word hobby

A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one’s leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements. Participation in hobbies encourages acquiring substantial skills and knowledge in that area. A list of hobbies changes with renewed interests and developing fashions, making it diverse and lengthy. Hobbies tend to follow trends in society, for example stamp collecting was popular during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as postal systems were the main means of communication, while video games are more popular nowadays following technological advances. The advancing production and technology of the nineteenth century provided workers with more leisure time to engage in hobbies. Because of this, the efforts of people investing in hobbies has increased with time.

Hobbyists may be identified under three sub-categories: casual leisure which is intrinsically rewarding, short-lived, pleasurable activity requiring little or no preparation, serious leisure which is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer that is substantial, rewarding and results in a sense of accomplishment, and finally project-based leisure which is a short-term, often one-off, project that is rewarding.^[1]

Etymology[edit]

In the 16th century, the term «hobby» had the meaning of «small horse and pony». The term «hobby horse» was documented in a 1557 payment confirmation for a «Hobbyhorse» from Reading, England.^[2] The item, originally called a «Tourney Horse», was made of a wooden or basketwork frame with an artificial tail and head. It was designed for a child to mimic riding a real horse. By 1816 the derivative, «hobby», was introduced into the vocabulary of a number of English people.^[3] Over the course of subsequent centuries, the term came to be associated with recreation and leisure. In the 17th century, the term was used in a pejorative sense by suggesting that a hobby was a childish pursuit, however, in the 18th century with more industrial society and more leisure time, hobbies took on greater respectability.^[4] A hobby is also called a pastime, derived from the use of hobbies to pass the time. A hobby became an activity that is practiced regularly and usually with some worthwhile purpose.^[5] Hobbies are usually, but not always, practiced primarily for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward.

History[edit]

Prior to the mid-19th century, hobbies were generally considered as an obsession, childish or trivial, with negative connotations.^[6] However, as early as 1676 Sir Matthew Hale, in Contemplations Moral and Divine, wrote «Almost every person hath some hobby horse or other wherein he prides himself.»^[7] He was acknowledging that a «hobby horse» produces a legitimate sense of pride. The cultural shift towards acceptance of hobbies was thought to begin during the mid 18th century as working people had more regular hours of work and greater leisure time, spending more time to pursue interests that brought them satisfaction.^[8] However, there was concern that these working people might not use their leisure time in worthwhile pursuits. «The hope of weaning people away from bad habits by the provision of counter-attractions came to the fore in the 1830s, and has rarely waned since. Initially, the bad habits were perceived to be of a sensual and physical nature, and the counter attractions, or perhaps more accurately alternatives, deliberately cultivated rationality and the intellect.»^[9] The book and magazine trade of the day encouraged worthwhile hobbies and pursuits. The burgeoning manufacturing trade made materials used in hobbies cheap and was responsive to the changing interests of hobbyists.

In 1941, George Orwell identified hobbies as central to European culture at the time: «Another English characteristic which is so much a part of us that we barely notice it … is the addiction to hobbies and spare-time occupations, the prolateness of English life. We are a nation of flower-lovers, but also a nation of stamp-collectors, pigeon-fanciers, amateur carpenters, coupon-snippers, darts-players, crossword-puzzle fans. All the culture that is most truly native centers round things which even when they are communal are not official—the pub, the football match, the back garden, the fireside and the ‘nice cup of tea’.»^[10]

Deciding what to include in a list of hobbies provokes debate because it is difficult to decide which pleasurable pass-times can also be described as hobbies. During the 20th century the term hobby suggested activities, such as stamp collecting, embroidery, knitting, painting, woodwork, and photography. Typically the description did not include activities like listening to music, watching television, or reading. These latter activities bring pleasure, but lack the sense of achievement usually associated with a hobby. They are usually not structured, organized pursuits, as most hobbies are. The pleasure of a hobby is usually associated with making something of value or achieving something of value. «Such leisure is socially valorized precisely because it produces feelings of satisfaction with something that looks very much like work but that is done of its own sake.»^[5] «Hobbies are a contradiction: they take work and turn it into leisure, and take leisure and turn it into work.»^[11] A 2018 study using survey results identified the term «hobby» to most accurately describe activities associated with making or collecting objects, especially when done alone.^[6]

Cultural trends related to hobbies change with time. In the 21st century, the video game industry has been popular as a hobby involving millions of children and adults. Stamp collecting declined along with the importance of the postal system. Woodwork and knitting declined as hobbies, because manufactured goods provide cheap alternatives for handmade goods. Through the internet, an online community has become a hobby for many people; sharing advice, information and support, and in some cases, allowing a traditional hobby, such as collecting, to flourish and support trading in a new environment.^{[citation needed]}

Hobbyists[edit]

Hobbyists are a part of a wider group of people engaged in leisure pursuits where the boundaries of each group overlap to some extent. The Serious Leisure Perspective^[12] groups hobbyists with amateurs and volunteers and identifies three broad groups of leisure activity with hobbies being found mainly in the Serious leisure category. Casual leisure is intrinsically rewarding, short-lived, pleasurable activity requiring little or no preparation. Serious leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer that is substantial, rewarding and results in a sense of accomplishment. Finally, project-based leisure is a short-term often a one-off project that is rewarding.^[1]

The terms amateur and hobbyist are often used interchangeably. Stebbins^[12] has a framework which distinguishes the terms in a useful categorization of leisure in which casual leisure is separated from serious Leisure. He describes serious leisure as undertaken by amateurs, hobbyists and volunteers. Amateurs engage in pursuits that have a professional counterpart, such as playing an instrument or astronomy. Hobbyists engage in five broad types of activity: collecting, making and tinkering (like embroidery and car restoration), activity participation (like fishing and singing), sports and games, and liberal-arts hobbies (like languages, cuisine, literature). Volunteers commit to organizations where they work as guides, counsellors, gardeners and so on. The separation of the amateur from the hobbyist is because the amateur has the ethos of the professional practitioner as a guide to practice. An amateur clarinetist is conscious of the role and procedures of a professional clarinetist.

A large proportion of hobbies are mainly solitary in nature.^[13] However, individual pursuit of a hobby often includes club memberships, organized sharing of products and regular communication between participants. For many hobbies there is an important role in being in touch with fellow hobbyists. Some hobbies are of communal nature, like choral singing and volunteering.

People who engage in hobbies have an interest in and time to pursue them. Children have been an important group of hobbyists because they are enthusiastic for collecting, making and exploring, in addition to this they have the leisure time that allows them to pursue those hobbies. The growth in hobbies occurred during industrialization which gave workers set time for leisure. During the Depression there was an increase in the participation in hobbies because the unemployed had the time and a desire to be purposefully occupied.^[14] Hobbies are often pursued with an increased interest by retired people because they have the time and seek the intellectual and physical stimulation a hobby provides.

Types of hobbies[edit]

Hobbies are a diverse set of activities and it is difficult to categorize them in a logical manner. The following categorization of hobbies was developed by Stebbins.^[1]

Collecting[edit]

Collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying and storing.^[15] Collecting is appealing to many people due to their interest in a particular subject and a desire to categorize and make order out of complexity. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating items from countries of the world. Others focus on a subtopic within their area of interest, perhaps 19th century postage stamps, milk bottle labels from Sussex, or Mongolian harnesses and tack, Firearms (both modern and vintage).

Collecting is an ancient hobby, with the list of coin collectors showing Caesar Augustus as one. Sometimes collectors have turned their hobby into a business, becoming commercial dealers that trade in the items being collected.

An alternative to collecting physical objects is collecting records of events of a particular kind. Examples include train spotting, bird-watching, aircraft spotting, railfans, and any other form of systematic recording a particular phenomenon. The recording form can be written, photographic, online, etc.

Making and tinkering[edit]

Making and tinkering includes working on self-motivated projects for fulfillment. These projects may be progressive, irregular tasks performed over a long period of time.^[1] Making and Tinkering hobbies include higher-end projects, such as building or restoring a car or building a computer from individual parts, like CPUs and SSDs. For computer savvy do-it-yourself hobbyists, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining may also popular. A CNC machine can be assembled and programmed to make different parts from wood or metal.

Tinkering is ‘dabbling’ with the making process, often applied to the hobby of tinkering with car repairs, and various kinds of restoration: of furniture, antique cars, etc. It also applies to household tinkering: repairing a wall, laying a pathway, etc. Examples of Making and Tinkering hobbies include Scale modeling, model engineering, 3D printing, dressmaking, and cooking.

Scale modeling is making a replica of a real-life object in a smaller scale and dates back to prehistoric times with small clay «dolls» and other children’s toys that have been found near known populated areas. Some of the earliest scale models of residences were found in Cucuteni–Trypillia culture in Eastern Europe. These artifacts were dated to be around 3000-6000 BC.^[16] Similar models dating back to the same period were found in ancient Egypt, India, China and Mesopotamia archaeological sites.^[17]

At the turn of the Industrial Age and through the 1920s, some families could afford things such as electric trains, wind-up toys (typically boats or cars) and the increasingly valuable tin toy soldiers. Scale modeling as we know it today became popular shortly after World War II. Before 1946, children as well as adults were content in carving and shaping wooden replicas from block wood kits, often depicting enemy aircraft to help with identification in case of an invasion.^{[citation needed]}

With the advent of modern plastics, the amount of skill required to get the basic shape accurately shown for any given subject was lessened, making it easier for people of all ages to begin assembling replicas in varying scales. Superheroes, aero planes, boats, cars, tanks, artillery, and even figures of soldiers became quite popular subjects to build, paint and display. Although almost any subject can be found in almost any scale, there are common scales for such miniatures which remain constant today.

Model engineering refers to building functioning machinery in metal, such as internal combustion motors and live steam models or locomotives. This is a demanding hobby that requires a multitude of large and expensive tools, such as lathes and mills. This hobby originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century, later spreading and flourishing in the mid-20th century. Due to the expense and space required, it is becoming rare.

3D Printing is a relatively new technology and already a major hobby as the cost of printers has fallen sharply. It is a good example of how hobbyists quickly engage with new technologies, communicate with one another and become producers related to their former hobby. 3D modeling is the process of making mathematical representations of three dimensional items and is an aspect of 3D printing.

Dressmaking has been a major hobby up until the late 20th century, in order to make cheap clothes, but also as a creative design and craft challenge. It has been reduced by the low cost of manufactured clothes.

Cooking is for some people an interest, a hobby, a challenge and a source of significant satisfaction. For many other people it is a job, a chore, a duty, like cleaning. In the early 21st century the importance of cooking as a hobby was demonstrated by the high popularity of competitive television cooking programs.

Activity participation[edit]

Activity participation includes partaking in «non-competitive, rule-based pursuits.»^[1]

Outdoor pursuits are the group of activities which occur outdoors. These hobbies include gardening, hill walking, hiking, backpacking, cycling, canoeing, climbing, caving, fishing, hunting, target shooting (informal or formal), wildlife viewing (as birdwatching) and engaging in watersports and snowsports.

One large subset of outdoor pursuits is gardening. Residential gardening most often takes place in or about one’s own residence, in a space referred to as the garden. Although a garden typically is located on the land near a residence, it may also be located on a roof, in an atrium, on a balcony, in a windowbox, or on a patio or vivarium.

Gardening also takes place in non-residential green areas, such as parks, public or semi-public gardens (botanical gardens or zoological gardens), amusement and theme parks, along transportation corridors, and around tourist attractions and hotels. In these situations, a staff of gardeners or groundskeepers maintains the gardens.

Indoor gardening is concerned with growing houseplants within a residence or building, in a conservatory, or in a greenhouse. Indoor gardens are sometimes incorporated into air conditioning or heating systems.

Water gardening is concerned with growing plants that have adapted to pools and ponds, along with aquascaping in planted aquariums. Bog gardens are also considered a type of water garden. A simple water garden may consist solely of a tub containing the water and plants.

Container gardening is concerned with growing plants in containers that are placed above the ground.

Liberal arts pursuits[edit]

Many hobbies involve performances by the hobbyist, such as singing, acting, juggling, magic, dancing, playing a musical instrument, martial arts, and other performing arts.

Some hobbies may result in an end product. Examples of this would be woodworking, photography, moviemaking, jewelry making, software projects such as Photoshopping and home music or video production, making bracelets, artistic projects such as drawing, painting, Cosplay (design, creation, and wearing a costume based on an already existing creative property), creating models out of card stock or paper – called papercraft. Many of these fall under the category visual arts.

Writing is often taken up as a hobby by aspiring writers and usually appears in the form of personal blog, guest posting or fan fiction (literary art resulting in creation of written content based on already existing, licensed creative property under specified terms).^[18]

Reading books, ebooks, magazines, comics, or newspapers, along with browsing the internet is a common hobby, and one that can trace its origins back hundreds of years. A love of literature, later in life, may be sparked by an interest in reading children’s literature as a child. Many of these fall under the category literary arts.

Sports and games[edit]

Main article: Game

Stebbins^[1] distinguishes an amateur sports person and a hobbyist by suggesting a hobbyist plays in less formal sports, or games that are rule bound and have no professional equivalent. While an amateur sports individual plays a sport with a professional equivalent, such as football or tennis. Amateur sport may range from informal play to highly competitive practice, such as deck tennis or long distance trekking.

The Department for Culture, Media, and Support in England suggests that playing sports benefits physical and mental health. A positive relationship appeared between engaging in sports and improving overall health.^[19]

Psychological role[edit]

During the 20th century there was extensive research into the important role that play has in human development. While most evident in childhood, play continues throughout life for many adults in the form of games, hobbies, and sport.^[20] Moreover, studies of aging and society support the value of hobbies in healthy aging.^[21]

Significant achievements[edit]

There have been many instances where hobbyists and amateurs have achieved significant discoveries and developments. These are a small sample.

• Amateur astronomers have explored the skies for centuries and there is a long list of Notable amateur astronomers who have made major discoveries. Amateur astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered the Comet Hale–Bopp.^[22]
• A substantial amount of early scientific research came from the amateur activities of the wealthy, such as Antoine Lavoisier’s contributions to the science of chemistry and Benjamin Franklin’s investigations into electricity.^[23][24]
• Open source is a development model using the internet to cooperate on projects. It is most notable in the development of software and widely used software, which has been developed and maintained by large numbers of people, including many home-based amateurs with high level expertise.
• While the general public was not aware of nature observation which was formally conducted as field research, during the 1930s, practitioners of the hobby went on to become the pioneers of the conservation movement that flourished in the UK from 1965 onwards.

See also[edit]

• Avocation
• Entertainment
• Community of interest
• List of hobbies
• Personal life
• Play (activity)

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Learn Hobbies Online
• Hobby at Merriam-Webster

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• Rhymes: -ɒbi
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒ.bi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑ.bi/

Etymology 1[edit]

Shortened from hobby-horse, from Middle English hoby, hobyn, hobin (“small horse, pony”), from Old French hobi, *haubi, haubby, hobin («a nag, hobby»; > Modern French aubin, Italian ubino), of Germanic origin: from Old French hober, ober (“to stir, move”), from Old Dutch hobben (“to toss, move up and down”); or from North Germanic origin related to Danish hoppe (“a mare”), Old Swedish hoppa (“a young mare”), North Frisian hoppe (“horse”); both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *huppōną (“to hop”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewb- (“to bend; a bend, joint”). More at hop, hobble.

The meaning of hobby-horse shifted from «small horse, pony» to «child’s toy riding horse» to «favorite pastime or avocation» with the connecting notion being «activity that doesn’t go anywhere». Possibly originally from a proper name for a horse, a diminutive of Robert or Robin (compare dobbin).

Noun[edit]

hobby (plural hobbies)

1. An activity that one enjoys doing in one’s spare time.

   I like to collect stamps from different countries as a hobby.

   take up a hobby

   give up your hobby

2. (equestrianism) An extinct breed of horse native to the British Isles, also known as the Irish Hobby

Synonyms[edit]

• (activity done for enjoyment in spare time): avocation, pastime; See also Thesaurus:hobby

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• hobbyhorse (noun)
• hobelar/hobeler

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English hoby, hobeye, from Old French hobé, hobei, hobet, from Medieval Latin hopētus, diminutive of harpe.

Noun[edit]

hobby (plural hobbies)

1. Any of four species of small falcons in the genus Falco, especially Falco subbuteo.
   • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin 2012, page 323:

     He hawked – from nearby Esher, Richard Fox sent a servant with a hobby, which Henry received enthusiastically – and hunted, sending a present of freshly slaughtered deer to Princess Mary.

Derived terms[edit]

• African hobby, Falco cuvierii
• Australian hobby, Falco longipennis
• Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo
• Oriental hobby, Falco severus

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• hobby lantern

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɔbi/, [ˈhɔβi]^[1]

Noun[edit]

hobby m (plural hobbies)

1. hobby

   Synonym: passatemps

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• “hobby”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “hobby” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.

Czech[edit]

Noun[edit]

hobby n

1. hobby (activity)

Danish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Noun[edit]

hobby c (singular definite hobbyen, plural indefinite hobbyer)

1. hobby (activity)

Inflection[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

• fritidsinteresse

Further reading[edit]

• “hobby” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• Hyphenation: hob‧by

Noun[edit]

hobby m (plural hobby’s, diminutive hobby’tje n)

1. hobby (activity)

Synonyms[edit]

• liefhebberij

Finnish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈhobi/, [ˈho̞bi]
• IPA^(key): /ˈhobːi/, [ˈho̞bːi]

Noun[edit]

hobby

1. (dated, now nonstandard) Synonym of harrastus (“hobby”).

   • 1938, Sinclair Lewis; Väinö Jaakkola (translator), Tuhlaajavanhemmat: romaani [The Prodigal Parents], W. Söderström:

     En luulisi teillä olevan kirouksenanne hobbyja, kuten minulla on.

     I shouldn’t have thought you were cursed with hobbies, as I am.

   • 1953, Eduskunta (Finnish Parliament), Pöytäkirjat (Minutes):

     Sellainen henkilö, joka itse ei ole harrastanut tätä hobbya, virkistyskalastusta, (…)

     A person who hasn’t themselves tried this hobby, recreational fishing, (…)

   • 1967, Yrjö A. Jäntti; Martti Haavio, Suomen sana: kansalliskirjallisuutemme valiolukemisto, volume 24, W. Söderström:

     Hobbyjen ei tarvitse noudattaa jo edellä mainittua kaupallista linjaa.

     Hobbies need not be commercial in the same way as previously mentioned.

Declension[edit]

Inflection of hobby (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative	hobby	hobbyt
genitive	hobbyn	hobbyjen
partitive	hobbya	hobbyja
illative	hobbyyn	hobbyihin
	singular	plural
nominative	hobby	hobbyt
accusative	nom.	hobby	hobbyt
gen.	hobbyn
genitive	hobbyn	hobbyjen
partitive	hobbya	hobbyja
inessive	hobbyssa	hobbyissa
elative	hobbysta	hobbyista
illative	hobbyyn	hobbyihin
adessive	hobbylla	hobbyilla
ablative	hobbylta	hobbyilta
allative	hobbylle	hobbyille
essive	hobbyna	hobbyina
translative	hobbyksi	hobbyiksi
instructive	—	hobbyin
abessive	hobbytta	hobbyitta
comitative	See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of hobby (type valo)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative hobbyni hobbyni accusative nom. hobbyni hobbyni gen. hobbyni genitive hobbyni hobbyjeni partitive hobbyani hobbyjani inessive hobbyssani hobbyissani elative hobbystani hobbyistani illative hobbyyni hobbyihini adessive hobbyllani hobbyillani ablative hobbyltani hobbyiltani allative hobbylleni hobbyilleni essive hobbynani hobbyinani translative hobbykseni hobbyikseni instructive — — abessive hobbyttani hobbyittani comitative — hobbyineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative hobbysi hobbysi accusative nom. hobbysi hobbysi gen. hobbysi genitive hobbysi hobbyjesi partitive hobbyasi hobbyjasi inessive hobbyssasi hobbyissasi elative hobbystasi hobbyistasi illative hobbyysi hobbyihisi adessive hobbyllasi hobbyillasi ablative hobbyltasi hobbyiltasi allative hobbyllesi hobbyillesi essive hobbynasi hobbyinasi translative hobbyksesi hobbyiksesi instructive — — abessive hobbyttasi hobbyittasi comitative — hobbyinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative hobbymme hobbymme accusative nom. hobbymme hobbymme gen. hobbymme genitive hobbymme hobbyjemme partitive hobbyamme hobbyjamme inessive hobbyssamme hobbyissamme elative hobbystamme hobbyistamme illative hobbyymme hobbyihimme adessive hobbyllamme hobbyillamme ablative hobbyltamme hobbyiltamme allative hobbyllemme hobbyillemme essive hobbynamme hobbyinamme translative hobbyksemme hobbyiksemme instructive — — abessive hobbyttamme hobbyittamme comitative — hobbyinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative hobbynne hobbynne accusative nom. hobbynne hobbynne gen. hobbynne genitive hobbynne hobbyjenne partitive hobbyanne hobbyjanne inessive hobbyssanne hobbyissanne elative hobbystanne hobbyistanne illative hobbyynne hobbyihinne adessive hobbyllanne hobbyillanne ablative hobbyltanne hobbyiltanne allative hobbyllenne hobbyillenne essive hobbynanne hobbyinanne translative hobbyksenne hobbyiksenne instructive — — abessive hobbyttanne hobbyittanne comitative — hobbyinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative hobbynsa hobbynsa accusative nom. hobbynsa hobbynsa gen. hobbynsa genitive hobbynsa hobbyjensa partitive hobbyaan hobbyansa hobbyjaan hobbyjansa inessive hobbyssaan hobbyssansa hobbyissaan hobbyissansa elative hobbystaan hobbystansa hobbyistaan hobbyistansa illative hobbyynsa hobbyihinsa adessive hobbyllaan hobbyllansa hobbyillaan hobbyillansa ablative hobbyltaan hobbyltansa hobbyiltaan hobbyiltansa allative hobbylleen hobbyllensa hobbyilleen hobbyillensa essive hobbynaan hobbynansa hobbyinaan hobbyinansa translative hobbykseen hobbyksensa hobbyikseen hobbyiksensa instructive — — abessive hobbyttaan hobbyttansa hobbyittaan hobbyittansa comitative — hobbyineen hobbyinensa

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /ɔ.bi/

Noun[edit]

hobby m (plural hobbies or hobbys)

1. hobby (activity)

   Synonym: passe-temps

Further reading[edit]

• “hobby”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Interlingua[edit]

Noun[edit]

hobby

1. hobby (activity)

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔb.bi/
• Rhymes: -ɔbbi
• Hyphenation: hòb‧by

Noun[edit]

hobby m (invariable)

1. hobby (activity)

[edit]

• hobbysto
• hobbystico

Further reading[edit]

• hobby in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Noun[edit]

hobby m (definite singular hobbyen, indefinite plural hobbyer, definite plural hobbyene)

1. a hobby (leisure activity)

References[edit]

• “hobby” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English hobby.

Noun[edit]

hobby m (definite singular hobbyen, indefinite plural hobbyar, definite plural hobbyane)

1. a hobby (leisure activity)

References[edit]

• “hobby” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɔb.bi/, /ˈxɔb.bɨ/
• Rhymes: -ɔbbi
• Syllabification: hob‧by

Noun[edit]

hobby n (indeclinable)

1. hobby (activity)

   Synonyms: konik, pasja, zainteresowanie, zamiłowanie

[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• hobby in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• hobby in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• Rhymes: -ɔbi

Noun[edit]

hobby m (plural hobbies)

1. hobby (an activity that one enjoys doing in one’s spare time)

   Synonym: passatempo

Further reading[edit]

• “hobby” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English hobby.

Noun[edit]

hobby n (plural hobby-uri)

1. hobby

Declension[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hobby.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈxobi/ [ˈxo.β̞i]
• Rhymes: -obi

Noun[edit]

hobby m (plural hobbys)

1. hobby (activity)

Usage notes[edit]

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading[edit]

• “hobby”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hobby.

Noun[edit]

hobby c

1. hobby (activity)

Declension[edit]

Declension of hobby
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	hobby	hobbyn	hobbyer	hobbyerna
Genitive	hobbys	hobbyns	hobbyers	hobbyernas

Further reading[edit]

• hobby in Svensk ordbok.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘hobby.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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I’ve not as yet found one hobby that would absorb me completely when I’m not working, but I have just bought a new apartment and didn’t quite bargain for the amount of effort and time and money that that absorbs.

Hugh Dancy

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD HOBBY

Hobyn, probably variant of proper name Robin; compare dobbin.

PRONUNCIATION OF HOBBY

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HOBBY

Hobby is a noun.

WHAT DOES HOBBY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of hobby in the English dictionary

The first definition of hobby in the dictionary is an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation. Other definition of hobby is (archaic (or dialect) a small horse or pony. Hobby is also an early form of bicycle, without pedals.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH HOBBY

SYNONYMS OF «HOBBY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «hobby» and belong to the same grammatical category.

TRANSLATION OF HOBBY

Find out the translation of hobby to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «HOBBY»

The term «hobby» is very widely used and occupies the 4.633 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of hobby

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «HOBBY» OVER TIME

10 QUOTES WITH «HOBBY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word hobby.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HOBBY»

Discover the use of hobby in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to hobby and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HOBBY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term hobby is used in the context of the following news items.

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Hobby [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/hobby>. Apr 2023 ».

hob·by ¹

 (hŏb′ē)

n. pl. hob·bies

An activity or interest pursued outside one’s regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.

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[Middle English hobi, hobyn, small horse, hobby horse, perhaps from Hobin, Hobby, nickname for Robert.]

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hob′by·ist n.

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hob·by ²

 (hŏb′ē)

n. pl. hob·bies

Any of several small falcons of the genus Falco, formerly used for catching small birds or game.

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[Middle English hobi, from Old French hobe, hobel.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hobby

(ˈhɒbɪ)

n, pl -bies

1. (Other Non-sporting Hobbies) an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation

2. (Animals) archaic or dialect a small horse or pony

4. (Automotive Engineering) an early form of bicycle, without pedals

[C14 hobyn, probably variant of proper name Robin; compare dobbin]

ˈhobbyist n

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hobby

(ˈhɒbɪ)

n, pl -bies

(Animals) any of several small Old World falcons, esp the European Falco subbuteo, formerly used in falconry

[C15: from Old French hobet, from hobe falcon; probably related to Middle Dutch hobbelen to roll, turn]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hob•by¹

(ˈhɒb i)

n., pl. -bies.

1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.

2. a child’s hobbyhorse.

3. Archaic. a small horse.

[1325–75; Middle English hoby(n), probably for Robin or Robert (compare hob²), used as horse’s name, as in dobbin]

hob′by•ist, n.

hob•by²

(ˈhɒb i)

n., pl. -bies.

any of various small, very swift falcons, esp. Falco subbuteo, of Eurasia.

[1400–50; late Middle English hoby < Middle French hobé, suffixal variant of Middle French, Old French hobel]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

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