paparazzo

Etymology

Italian paparazzo, from the name of Signor Paparazzo, a character in Federico Fellini's La dolce vita.

noun

1. A freelance photographer who sells photographs of celebrities to the media, especially one who pursues celebrities and attempts to obtain candid photographs.
   You may decide to shove the lens down the throat of your aggressor, in the style of an aggrieved celebrity seeking primal redress against a mischievous paparazzo; but then again, most ecstatic rituals are pacific in intent and you may find such violence inappropriate. April 30, 2005, Peter Aspden, “Bright Lights, Big Pity”, The Revolver, in FT magazine, number № 103 (election special), page 46