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Romancing

 - 4 dictionary results

ro⋅mance

1  [n., adj. roh-mans, roh-mans; v. roh-mans] noun, verb, -manced, -manc⋅ing, adjective
Use Romancing in a Sentence
–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

Related forms:
ro⋅manc⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. story, fiction. 4. falsehood, fable. 6. allure, fascination, exoticism.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Romancing
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.

  2. 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.

  5. A fictitiously embellished account or explanation: We have been given speculation and romance instead of the facts.

  6. Music A lyrical, tender, usually sentimental song or short instrumental piece.

  7. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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