Word of the Day

Tuesday, May 30, 2000

inamorata

\in-am-uh-RAH-tuh\ , noun;

A woman whom one is in love with; a mistress.

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Quotes:

Each of the gubernatorial candidates has been vying to prove that he is the least likely to take a state plane to the beach for a date with his inamorata or get involved with a struggle over how to evict his spouse from the governor's mansion.

-- Gail Collins, "Uncontested Contests", New York Times, November 2, 1999

There are cynical experts on romanticism who counsel one to switch from one young inamorata to another in the nick of time.

-- Paul West, Life With Swan

Origin:

Inamorata comes from Italian innamorata, feminine of innamorato, from the past participle of innamorare, "to inspire with love," from in- (from Latin) + amore, "love" (from Latin amor, from amare, "to love"). A man with whom one is in love is an inamorato.