paramour

== English == === Etymology === The adverb is derived from Middle English par amour, paramore, paramours (“with sexual desire or love, passionately; in a courteous or friendly manner”), from Anglo-Norman par amur (“in a friendly or willing manner”) and Old French par amur, par amour, paramours (“by or through love”) (modern French par amour), from par (“by; through; etc.”) (from Latin per (“by means of, through”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; etc.”)) + amor, amur (“love”, noun) (from Latin amōrem, the accusative singular of amor (“desire, lust; affection, love”), from amō (“to love”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- (“to grasp, seize; to take hold; to touch; etc.”)) + -or (suffix forming abstract nouns)). The noun is from Middle English paramour, paramoure, paramur, peramour (“wife; concubine; mistress; husband; male lover; darling, sweetheart; romantic love; sexual passion; (Christianity) Jesus Christ; the Virgin Mary; divine or spiritual love”), from par amour, paramore (adverb) (see above), possibly from a misinterpretation of to love paramour(s) (“to love passionately”) to mean “to love a beloved person”. The verb is partly from both of the following: From Middle English paramouren (“to love (someone)”), probably derived from the adverb (see above). The Middle English word is only attested in one (possibly 15th-century) source and does not appear to have been used again until the 17th century; compare William Shakespeare's use of out-paramour in King Lear (written c. 1603–1606): see the 1608 quotation. Uses from the 17th century onwards are probably derived from the noun. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpæɹəmʊə/, /-mɔː/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɛɹəˌmʊ(ə)ɹ/, /-ˌmɔɹ/ Hyphenation: par‧a‧mour The modern pronunciation is apparently an Early Modern English readaptation of French paramour. === Noun === paramour (plural paramours) (chiefly archaic) A person who is the object of one's love, especially in an affair or romance; a lover; also, a sexual partner. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lover, Thesaurus:sexual partner (by extension) (chiefly dated) A person (especially someone who is not one's spouse) with whom one has an illicit or secret affair; also (Scotland, US, law), one with whom a married person has an adulterous affair. Hyponyms: lover, mistress; see also Thesaurus:mistress (historical) A woman who is the object of a knight's love, and who he fights for. (Christianity, obsolete) God as the object of a person's devotion or love. ==== Derived terms ==== out-paramour out-paramour the Turk ==== Translations ==== === Verb === paramour (third-person singular simple present paramours, present participle paramouring, simple past and past participle paramoured) (intransitive, chiefly dated) To have an illicit or secret affair with a person, especially someone who is not one's spouse. ==== Derived terms ==== paramoured (adjective) paramouring (adjective, noun) ==== Translations ==== === Adverb === paramour (not comparable) (obsolete) Of loving, etc.: out of or through romantic feeling or sexual desire; passionately. Synonyms: devotedly, passionately Used chiefly when addressing someone: out of or through devotion or kindness; as a favour or kindness. === Alternative forms === paramours === References === === Further reading === Paramour (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == Middle English == === Alternative forms === paramoire, paramore, par amour, paramoure, par amoure, paramoures, paramours, par amours, paramowre, paramur, par amur, paramurs, peramour, peramoures, peramowre === Etymology === The adverb is borrowed from Anglo-Norman par amur (“in a friendly or willing manner”) and Old French par amur, par amour, paramours (“by or through love”) (modern French par amour), from par (“by; through; etc.”) (from Latin per (“by means of, through”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; etc.”)) + amor, amur (“love”, noun) (from Latin amōrem, the accusative singular of amor (“desire, lust; affection, love”), from amō (“to love”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- (“to grasp, seize; to take hold; to touch; etc.”)) + -or (suffix forming abstract nouns)). By surface analysis, par- +‎ amour. The noun is from par amour, paramore (adverb) (see above), possibly from a misinterpretation of to love paramour(s) (“to love passionately”) to mean “to love a beloved person”. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌparaˈmuːr/, /ˈparamur/, /ˈparəmur/ === Adverb === paramour In a loving or sexual way; amorously, passionately. Synonym: amorously In a caring or kind way; affectionately. Used to make a request: please. ==== Descendants ==== English: paramour (obsolete) === Noun === paramour (plural paramours) A romantic or sexual partner; a lover. An illicit romantic or sexual partner; a paramour. A term of address for someone that one loves. Romantic, sexual, or (less often) spiritual passion. (Christianity, figurative, rare) used by a female person: Jesus Christ as the object of one's devotion or love; also, used by a male person: the Virgin Mary as the object of one's devotion or love. ==== Descendants ==== English: paramour === References ===