The Spanish word 'aficionado' traces back to Latin roots. It starts with the Latin prefix 'ad-' meaning 'toward' and the verb 'facere' meaning 'to do or make'. These combined to form 'afficere' meaning 'to affect or influence', which then developed into the Latin noun 'affectio' meaning 'influence or disposition'.

In Spanish, this evolved into 'afición' meaning 'fondness or liking'. The verb 'aficionar' was formed by adding the verbal suffix '-ar' to mean 'to inspire fondness'. Finally, the past participle suffix '-ado' was added to create 'aficionado', which came to refer to someone who has been inspired with fondness for something - in other words, an enthusiast or fan.

A simpler related Spanish word is 'afición' meaning 'hobby' or 'interest'. While 'aficionado' refers to the person who is enthusiastic about something, 'afición' refers to the interest or hobby itself. You might also encounter the verb 'aficionar' meaning 'to interest someone in something' or 'to make someone fond of something', though it's less commonly used.

The English words 'affect' and 'affection' are cousins of 'aficionado', all stemming from the Latin 'afficere'. While 'affect' maintained the sense of 'to influence or act upon', 'affection' developed along similar lines to Spanish 'afición', coming to mean fondness or liking. The word 'aficionado' itself has been borrowed directly into English with the same meaning as in Spanish - an enthusiast or devoted fan.