Crossword Genius

Distraught, losing right to arrest a zealot (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

fanatic

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'zealot' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'distraught losing right to arrest a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for fanatic that I've seen before include "Narrow-minded enthusiast" , "Devotee beyond reason" , "Bigot - enthusiast" , "Person filled with excessive zeal for cause" , "Extreme zealot" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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