Another linguistic doubt.

[Enrique]

In my language one can use the word melómano to refer to a person greatly fond of music. In some English dictionaries I find melomaniac but, aside from being a term which I think must not be very usual, it seems to have a medical connotation. As to music-lover, I am not quite sure about its meaning.

So, what do melomaniac and music-lover exactly mean in general usage? Are they interchangeable words?

[Chris]

I looked it up, and they do seem to mean the same thing - someone who is passionate about music. It seems that "melomaniac" can also mean someone who is abnormally affected by certain tones (a medical condition, apparently).

But honestly, I had never heard of the word "melomaniac" before - it is certainly not a common word, and if you use it in every day speech, probably no one will know what you are talking about. I'd stick to "music lover" or "music enthusiast."

[Enrique]

But honestly, I had never heard of the word "melomaniac" before - it is certainly not a common word, and if you use it in every day speech, probably no one will know what you are talking about. I'd stick to "music lover" or "music enthusiast."

Well, as I was typing that word, my system's spell checker rejected it. I use it as Spanish shares with English an enormous quantity of words and so, when I do not know the word for the concept I want to deliver, I just write it in Spanish with some modification in spelling and it usually works. Thanks for dissipating my doubt.

[Enrique]

Hummm, maybe I am oversimplifying.