lover (n.)

"one who is enamored, person in love," early 13c., agent noun from love (v.). Old English had lufend for male lovers, lufestre for women. Meaning "one who has a predilection for" (a thing, concept, pursuit, etc.) is mid-14c. As a form of address to a lover, from 1911. Related: Loverly (adj.) "like a lover, suitable for a lover" (1853); loverless (1819).

Lover's quarrel is from 1660s; lover's leap, usually involving a local crag and a fanciful story, is by 1712; Lover's Lane for a remote and shady road, little-traveled and thus popular with lovers, is by 1853. It seems also to have been an actual road-name in some places.

also from early 13c.

Entries linking to lover

love (v.)

Old English lufian "to feel love for, cherish, show love to; delight in, approve," from Proto-Germanic *lubojanan (source also of Old High German lubon, German lieben), a verb from the root of love (n.). Weakened sense of "like" attested by c. 1200. Intransitive sense "be in love, have a passionate attachment" is from mid-13c. To love (someone) up "make out with" is from 1921. To love and leave is from 1885.

This truth came borne with bier and pall,

I felt it, when I sorrow'd most,

'Tis better to have loved and lost,

Than never to have loved at all —

[Tennyson, "In Memoriam"]

lover-boy (n.)

"boyfriend, male paramour," by 1852; see lover (n.) + boy (n.).

Trends of lover

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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buff

kind of thick, soft leather, 1570s, buffe leather "leather made of buffalo hide," from French buffle "buffalo" (15c., via Italian, from Latin bufalus; see buffalo (n.)). The color term "light brownish-yellow" (by 1788) comes via the hue of buff leather. The old association

paramour

early 14c., "a lover or wooer" of either sex, noun use of adverbial phrase par amour (c. 1300) "passionately, with strong...mean "darling, sweetheart" (mid-14c.) and "wife, husband," also, in a bad sense, "mistress, concubine; (a woman's) male lover...; clandestine lover" (late 14c.) which from 17c. became the only sense, except in poetry....

philander

1737, "pay court to women, especially without serious intent; flirt," from the noun meaning "a lover" (1700), from Philander..., popular name for a lover in stories, drama, and poetry, from Greek adjective philandros "with love for people," perhaps...

leman

"sweetheart, paramour, loved one" (archaic), c. 1200, lemman, "loved one of the opposite sex; paramour, lover; wife;" also...Christ; female saint devoted to chastity; God, Christ, the Virgin Mary;" also a term of intimate address to a friend or lover...in early Middle English, of brides of Christ, the spiritually beloved of God, etc.; by c. 1300 it could mean "betrothed lover...

philomel

"a nightingale," 1570s, from Greek Philomēla, the poetic name of the nightingale; probably literally "lover of song," from...philos "loving" (see philo-) + melos "a tune, song" (or perhaps "lover of apples," from Greek mela)....

ailurophile

"cat-lover," 1931, with -phile "one that loves" + Greek ailouros "cat" (probably only "wildcat," as "domestic cats were not...An earlier attempt at an English word for "cat-lover" was philofelist (1843)....

amateur

1784, "one who has a taste for some art, study, or pursuit, but does not practice it," from French amateur "one who loves, lover..." (16c., restored from Old French ameour), from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover, friend," agent noun from amatus...

honey

Middle English hony, from Old English hunig "honey," from Proto-Germanic *hunang- (source also of Old Norse hunang, Swedish honung, Old Saxon honeg, Old Frisian hunig, Middle Dutch honich, Dutch honig, Old High German honang, German Honig "honey"), of uncertain origin. Perhaps fr

squeeze

c. 1600, "press forcibly" (transitive), perhaps an alteration of quease (Middle English quisen), from Old English cwysan "to squeeze," a word of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare German quetschen "to squeeze"). It perhaps also has been altered by influence of many words

favorite

"person or thing regarded with especial liking," 1580s, from French favorit, perhaps via Italian favorito, noun use of past participle of favorire, from favore, from Latin favorem "inclination, partiality, support" (see favor (n.)). Especially, "a person who gains dominant influe

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updated on August 05, 2019

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Dictionary entries near lover

loveliness

love-longing

love-lorn

lovely

love-making

lover

lover-boy

loverly

love-scene

love-seat

lovesick