romance

See also: Romance, românce, and romancé

English

Etymology

From Middle English romauns, roumance, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French romanz, romans (the vernacular language of France, as opposed to Latin), from Medieval Latin rōmānicē, Vulgar Latin rōmānicē (“in the Roman language”, adverb), from Latin rōmānicus (“roman”, adj) from rōmānus (“a Roman”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɹoʊˈmæns/, /ˈɹoʊˌmæns/, enPR: rō-măns'
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈmæns/, /ˈɹəʊˌmæns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æns, -əʊmæns

Noun

romance (countable and uncountable, plural romances)

1. A story relating to chivalry; a story involving knights, heroes, adventures, quests, etc.
2. An intimate relationship between two people; a love affair.
3. A strong obsession or attachment for something or someone.
4. Idealized love which is pure or beautiful.
5. A mysterious, exciting, or fascinating quality.
6. A story or novel dealing with idealized love.
7. An embellished account of something; an idealized lie.
8. An adventure, or series of extraordinary events, resembling those narrated in romances.

   His life was a romance.

9. A dreamy, imaginative habit of mind; a disposition to ignore what is real.

   a girl full of romance

10. (music) A romanza, or sentimental ballad.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see Citations:romance.

Antonyms

• (intimate relationship): platonic, platonic relationship, platonic love (with respect to intimacy)

Derived terms

• autumn romance

• May-September romance

• romantic

Translations

intimate relationship, love affair

• Armenian: սիրավեպ (hy) (siravep)
• Belarusian: рама́н m (ramán)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戀愛 (zh), 恋爱 (zh) (liàn'ài), 浪漫 (zh) (làngmàn)

• Finnish: romanssi
• French: romance (fr) f, idylle (fr) f
• German: Romanze (de) f, Liebeserlebnis n
• Hungarian: románc (hu)
• Italian: storia d'amore
• Japanese: 恋愛 (ja) (れんあい, ren'ai), ロマンス (romansu), 恋 (ja) (こい, koi)
• Korean: 연애 (ko) (yeonae), 로맨스 (ko) (romaenseu)
• Manx: cooish ghraih f

• Maori: mate kanehe
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romanse m

  Nynorsk: romanse m

• Polish: romans (pl) m
• Portuguese: romance (pt) m
• Russian: рома́н (ru) m (román)
• Spanish: romance (es) m
• Turkish: romans (tr)
• Ukrainian: рома́н m (román)
• Vietnamese: lãng mạn (vi)

strong obsession or attachment

• Finnish: intohimo (fi)

idealized love

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 浪漫的愛情, 浪漫的爱情 (làngmàn de àiqíng), 浪漫 (zh) (làngmàn)

• Finnish: romanttinen rakkaus
• French: romance (fr) f, amour romantique m, idylle (fr) f
• German: romantische Liebe f, Romanze (de) f

• Italian: romanticheria f, idillio (it) m
• Japanese: ロマンチックラブ (romanchikku-rabu), ロマンチックな愛 (ロマンチックなあい, romanchikku na ai), ロマンス (romansu)
• Korean: 로맨스 (ko) (romaenseu)
• Russian: романти́ческая любо́вь f (romantíčeskaja ljubóvʹ), рома́н (ru) m (román)
• Vietnamese: lãng mạn (vi)

mysterious, fascinating quality

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 浪漫 (zh) (làngmàn), 羅曼蒂克 (zh), 罗曼蒂克 (zh) (luómàndìkè)

• Finnish: kiehtova piirre

• Italian: poesia (it) f, atmosfera fantasiosa f
• Russian: рома́нтика (ru) f (romántika)

story or novel dealing with idealized love

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戀愛小說, 恋爱小说 (liàn'ài xiǎoshuō), 愛情小說, 爱情小说 (àiqíng xiǎoshuō)

• Finnish: romanttinen kertomus; rakkausromaani
• French: (song or story) romance (fr) f
• German: Romanze (de) f
• Italian: (d'amore) ^{(please verify)} romanzo m
• Japanese: ロマンス (romansu), 伝奇小説 (でんきしょうせつ, denki shōsetsu), 伝奇 (でんき, denki)

• Khmer: ប្រលោមលោក (km) (bro loam loak)
• Latin: fābula (la) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romanse m

  Nynorsk: romanse m

• Russian: (song or story) рома́нс (ru) m (románs), (romanticism) рома́нтика (ru) f (romántika), романти́ческая по́весть f (romantíčeskaja póvestʹ)

embellished account

• Finnish: romanttinen tarina
• Italian: esagerazione fantasiosa f

• Maori: kōrero takuahi

story relating to chivalry

• Finnish: ritaritarina, ritariballadi

series of extraordinary events, resembling those narrated in romances

dreamy, imaginative habit of mind

• Finnish: haaveellisuus (fi), romanttisuus (fi)

music: sentimental ballad

• Finnish: romanssi
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: romanse m

  Nynorsk: romanse m

Verb

romance (third-person singular simple present romances, present participle romancing, simple past and past participle romanced)

1. Woo; court.
2. (intransitive) To write or tell romantic stories, poetry, letters, etc.

Anagrams

• Cameron, Cremona, Marenco, Menorca

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish romance, itself probably a borrowing from either Old French romanz or Old Provençal romans, meaning a narrative work in the vernacular speech, from Vulgar Latin *romanĭce (“in a Roman manner”), compare Medieval Latin rōmānice, ultimately from Latin rōmānicus. See also roman (“novel”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁɔ.mɑ̃s/
• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Noun

romance f (plural romances)

1. a ballad; a love song
   • 1972, Pierre Delanoë (lyrics), Michel Fugain (music), “Une belle histoire [A Beautiful Story]”, performed by Michel Fugain and the Big Bazar:

     C’est un beau roman, c’est une belle histoire. C’est une romance d’aujourd’hui.

     It's beautiful tale, it's a beautiful story. It's a love song of today.

Verb

romance

1. first-person singular present indicative of romancer
2. third-person singular present indicative of romancer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of romancer
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of romancer
5. second-person singular imperative of romancer

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Interlingua

Adjective

romance (comparative plus romance, superlative le plus romance)

1. Romance

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Provençal romans, from Medieval Latin, Vulgar Latin rōmānicē (“in a Roman manner”), from Latin rōmānicus (“Roman”), from rōmānus (“Roman”), from Rōma (“Rome”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁo.ˈmɐ̃.si/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /ho.ˈmɐ̃.se/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁu.ˈmɐ̃.sɨ/
• Hyphenation: ro‧man‧ce

Noun

romance m (plural romances)

1. (literature) novel (work of prose fiction)
2. romance; love affair

Synonyms

• (love affair): caso

Derived terms

• romance de folhetim

Related terms

Related terms

• Roma
• romança
• romancear
• romanceiro

• romanche
• romancice
• romancismo
• romancista

• romanço
• romançório
• romano
• romanticidade

• romanticismo
• romântico
• romantismo
• romantizar

Adjective

romance m, f (plural romances, not comparable)

1. (linguistics) Romance (of the languages derived from Latin)

Synonyms

• neolatim, romanço, românico

Derived terms

• reto-romance

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Provençal romans, or Old French romanz, from Vulgar Latin *romanĭce, compare Medieval Latin rōmānice, ultimately from Latin rōmānicus < rōmānus. Cognates include Old French romanz, whence the modern French noun roman (“novel”).

Adjective

romance (plural romances)

1. Romance

Synonyms

• románico

Derived terms

• lengua romance

Noun

romance m (plural romances)

1. romance, love affair
2. novel
3. Spanish (language)

Synonyms

• (novel): novela
• (Spanish language): castellano, español

Verb

romance

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of romanzar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of romanzar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of romanzar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of romanzar.