Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Romance - 8 dictionary results

ro⋅mance

1[n., adj. roh-mans, roh-mans; v. roh-mans] noun, verb, -manced, -manc⋅ing, adjective
–noun
1. a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.
2. the colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.
3. a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.
4. a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.
5. a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire.
6. romantic character or quality.
7. a romantic affair or experience; a love affair.
8. (initial capital letter) Also, Romanic. Also called Romance languages. the group of Italic Indo-European languages descended since a.d. 800 from Latin, as French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Provençal, Catalan, Rhaeto-Romanic, Sardinian, and Ladino. Abbreviation: Rom.
–verb (used without object)
9. to invent or relate romances; indulge in fanciful or extravagant stories or daydreams.
10. to think or talk romantically.
–verb (used with object)
11. Informal.
a. to court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness: He's currently romancing a very attractive widow.
b. to court the favor of or make overtures to; play up to: They need to romance the local business community if they expect to do business here.
–adjective
12. (initial capital letter) Also, Romanic. of, pertaining to, or noting Romance: a Romance language.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME romaunce Romanic language, composition in such a language < OF, deriv. of romanz, romans (adj.) Romanic < VL *Rōmānicē (adv.) in a Romance language, deriv. of L Rōmānicus Romanic


ro⋅manc⋅er, noun


1. story, fiction. 4. falsehood, fable. 6. allure, fascination, exoticism.

ro⋅mance

2[roh-mans]
–noun
1. Music. a short, simple melody, vocal or instrumental, of tender character.
2. Spanish Literature. a short epic poem, esp. a historical ballad.

Origin:
1595–1605; < F < Sp: kind of poem, ballad < OF romanz romance 1
ro·mance   (rō-māns', rō'māns')   
n.  
    1. A love affair.
    2. Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love: They kept the romance alive in their marriage for 35 years.
    3. A strong, sometimes short-lived attachment, fascination, or enthusiasm for something: a childhood romance with the sea.
    4. A long medieval narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes: an Arthurian romance.
    5. A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place.
    6. The class of literature constituted by such tales.
    7. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.
    8. The class or style of such works.
  1. A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful: "These fine old guns often have a romance clinging to them" (Richard Jeffries).
    1. A long medieval narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes: an Arthurian romance.
    2. A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place.
    3. The class of literature constituted by such tales.
    4. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.
    5. The class or style of such works.
    1. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.
    2. The class or style of such works.
  2. A fictitiously embellished account or explanation: We have been given speculation and romance instead of the facts.
  3. Music A lyrical, tender, usually sentimental song or short instrumental piece.
  4. Romance The Romance languages.
adj.  Romance Of, relating to, or being any of the languages that developed from Latin, including Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.
v.   (rō-māns') ro·manced, ro·manc·ing, ro·manc·es

v.   intr.
  1. To invent, write, or tell romances.
  2. To think or behave in a romantic manner.
v.   tr. Informal
  1. To make love to; court or woo.
  2. To have a love affair with.

[Middle English, from Old French romans, romance, work written in French, from Vulgar Latin *rōmānicē (scrībere), (to write) in the vernacular, from Latin Rōmānicus, Roman, from Rōmānus; see Roman.]
ro·manc'er n.

Romance

Ro*mance"\, n. [OE. romance, romant, romaunt, OF. romanz, romans, romant, roman, F. roman, romance, fr. LL. Romanice in the Roman language, in the vulgar tongue, i. e., in the vulgar language which sprang from Latin, the language of the Romans, and hence applied to fictitious compositions written in this vulgar tongue; fr. L. Romanicus Roman, fr. Romanus. See Roman, and cf. Romanic, Romaunt, Romansch, Romanza.]

1. A species of fictitious writing, originally composed in meter in the Romance dialects, and afterward in prose, such as the tales of the court of Arthur, and of Amadis of Gaul; hence, any fictitious and wonderful tale; a sort of novel, especially one which treats of surprising adventures usually befalling a hero or a heroine; a tale of extravagant adventures, of love, and the like. "Romances that been royal." --Chaucer.

Upon these three columns -- chivalry, gallantry, and religion -- repose the fictions of the Middle Ages, especially those known as romances. These, such as we now know them, and such as display the characteristics above mentioned, were originally metrical, and chiefly written by nations of the north of France. --Hallam.

2. An adventure, or series of extraordinary events, resembling those narrated in romances; as, his courtship, or his life, was a romance.

3. A dreamy, imaginative habit of mind; a disposition to ignore what is real; as, a girl full of romance.

4. The languages, or rather the several dialects, which were originally forms of popular or vulgar Latin, and have now developed into Italian. Spanish, French, etc. (called the Romanic languages).

5. (Mus.) A short lyric tale set to music; a song or short instrumental piece in ballad style; a romanza.

Syn: Fable; novel; fiction; tale.

Romance

Ro*mance"\, a. Of or pertaining to the language or dialects known as Romance.

Romance

Ro*mance"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Romanced; p. pr. & vb. n. Romancing.] To write or tell romances; to indulge in extravagant stories.

A very brave officer, but apt to romance. --Walpole.
Language Translation for : Romance
Spanish: amorío, idilio,
German: die Romanze,
Japanese: 恋愛

romance

In traditional literary terms, a narration of the extraordinary exploits of heroes, often in exotic or mysterious settings. Most of the stories of King Arthur and his knights are romances.

The term romance has also been used for stories of mysterious adventures, not necessarily of heroes. Like the heroic kind of romance, however, these adventure romances usually are set in distant places. William Shakespeare's play The Tempest is this kind of romance.

Today, a novel concerned mainly with love is often called a romance. Romances are frequently published in paperback series.


romance 
c.1300, "story of a hero's adventures," also (c.1330), "vernacular language of France" (as opposed to Latin), from O.Fr. romanz "verse narrative," originally an adverb, "in the vernacular language," from V.L. *romanice scribere "to write in a Romance language" (one developed from Latin instead of Frankish), from L. Romanicus "of or in the Roman style," from Romanus "Roman" (see Roman). The connecting notion is that medieval vernacular tales were usually about chivalric adventure. Literary sense extended by 1667 to "a love story." Extended 1612 to other modern languages derived from Latin (Spanish, Italian, etc.). Meaning "adventurous quality" first recorded 1801; that of "love affair, idealistic quality" is from 1916. The verb meaning "court as a lover" is from 1942.
Search another word or see Romance on Thesaurus | Reference