caress

English

Etymology

From French caresse, from Italian carezza (“dear”), from Latin cārus (“dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂-, akin to Sanskrit काम (kāma, “love”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəˈɹɛs/
• Rhymes: -ɛs

Noun

caress (plural caresses)

1. An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [from 1640s]
   • (Can we date this quote by Longfellow and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Wooed her with his soft caresses.

   • (Can we date this quote by Macaulay and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     He exerted himself to win by indulgence and caresses the hearts of all who were under his command.

2. A gentle stroking or rubbing.

Translations

endearment

• Belarusian: ла́ска f (láska)
• German: Liebkosung f, Umarmung (de) f
• Hungarian: kedveskedés, gyengédség (hu), átölelés, dédelgetés (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: pieszczota (pl) f
• Russian: ла́ска (ru) f (láska)
• Ukrainian: ла́ска f (láska)

gentle stroking

• Bulgarian: милувка f (miluvka)
• German: Streicheln n
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἔφαψις f (éphapsis)

• Hungarian: cirógatás (hu), simogatás (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: погла́живание (ru) impf (pogláživanije), ла́ска (ru) f (láska)
• Spanish: caricia (es), carantoña (es)

Verb

caress (third-person singular simple present caresses, present participle caressing, simple past and past participle caressed)

1. (transitive) To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.

   Synonyms: hold, soothe, stroke, kiss

   She loves being caressed by her boyfriend.

2. (transitive) To affect as if with a caress.
   • 2012, Mel Berry, Graceful Intentions (page 1)

     The love and anguish in his voice caressed my mind and soul.

Translations

touch or kiss lovingly

• Albanian: ledhatoj (sq), përkëdhel (sq)
• Arabic: لَاطَفَ (lāṭafa)
• Armenian: գգվել (hy) (ggvel)
• Azerbaijani: oxşamaq, əzizləmək (az), nəvaziş etmək, nazlamaq
• Belarusian: ла́шчыць impf (láščycʹ), пе́сціць impf (pjéscicʹ), галубі́ць impf (halubícʹ), гла́дзіць impf (hládzicʹ) (stroke gently)
• Bulgarian: ми́лвам (bg) impf (mílvam), ласка́я (bg) impf (laskája)
• Catalan: acariciar (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愛撫／爱抚 (zh) (àifǔ), 爱抚 (zh) (àifǔ)

• Czech: laskat (cs) impf, hladit (cs) impf, pohladit pf
• Danish: kærtegne (da)
• Dutch: liefkozen (nl)
• Esperanto: intimumi, (pri tuŝado) karesi (eo)
• Finnish: hyväillä (fi)
• French: caresser (fr)
• Gallurese: carignà, accaritzà
• German: liebkosen (de), kosen (de)
• Greek: χαϊδεύω (el) (chaïdévo), θωπεύω (el) (thopévo)
• Hindi: हाथ फेरना (hāth phernā)
• Hungarian: cirógat (hu) (stroke gently), simogat (hu) (stroke), dédelget (hu), átölel (hu)
• Indonesian: elus (id), membelai (id)
• Irish: muirnigh
• Italian: accarezzare (it)
• Japanese: 愛撫する (ja) (あいぶする, aibu suru)
• Korean: 어르다 (ko) (eoreuda), 애무하다 (ko) (aemuhada)
• Kumyk: аявламакъ (ayawlamaq)
• Latin: palpō, mulceō
• Latvian: glāstīt
• Luxembourgish: heemelen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: милува impf (miluva), гали impf (gali), мази (mazi)
• Maori: mori, morimori
• Persian: نوازش کردن (fa) (navâzeš kardan)
• Polish: pieścić (pl) impf, głaskać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: acariciar (pt)
• Quechua: waylluy (qu)
• Romanian: dezmierda (ro), alinta (ro), mângâia (ro)
• Russian: ласка́ть (ru) impf (laskátʹ), гла́дить (ru) impf (gláditʹ) (stroke gently), голу́бить (ru) impf (golúbitʹ), милова́ть (ru) impf (milovátʹ)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: accaritziai, carignai

  Logudorese: accarissiare, carignare

• Sassarese: carignà, imbirrià
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ми̏ловати impf

  Roman: mȉlovati (sh) impf

• Sicilian: allisciari (scn)
• Slovak: hladiť impf
• Slovene: ljubkovati (sl) impf, božati (sl) impf
• Spanish: acariciar (es)
• Swedish: smeka (sv)
• Thai: เชยชม (th) (chəəi-chom), เชย (chəəi)
• Turkish: okşamak (tr)
• Ukrainian: ласка́ти impf (laskáty), пе́стити impf (péstyty), пести́ти impf (pestýty), пе́стувати impf (péstuvaty), голу́бити impf (holúbyty), милува́ти impf (myluváty), гла́дити impf (hládyty) (stroke gently)
• Vietnamese: vuốt ve (vi), mơn trớn (vi)
• Volapük: löfülön (vo)
• Welsh: anwesu (cy)

Anagrams

• Crases, SERCAs, carses, casers, crases, sacres, scares, seracs, séracs