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amorosus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word amorosus

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
13th century
Ultimate origin
Latin amor
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin amo
French aimer
Italian amare
Latin amor
French amour
Italian amore
Latin amorosus
French amoureux
From the same root
English amateur ← amo
Latin adamo ← amo
Latin amabilis ← amo
Latin amator ← amo
Latin amicus ← amo
Italian innamorato ← amore

Forms

amorōsus (feminine amorōsa, neuter amorōsum, comparative amorōsior, superlative amorōsissimus); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin amor (“love”) + -ōsus (“full of”).[1][2] Wiktionary takes the medieval word, which appears from the thirteenth century, to be borrowed from the Romance languages, where Vulgar Latin *amōrōsus had lived on in speech.[1] Etymonline instead derives Old French amoros from a Late Latin form.[3]

English amorous comes from the Old French word.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wiktionary dates it from the thirteenth century, when it meant “amorous”.[1]

Semantic evolution

It meant loving, affectionate and gentle; then graceful and beautiful; dear and lovable; and amatory, belonging to love.[4][5] Du Cange quotes the Lenten sermons of Menot, where God is “curious and loving” about our salvation, and the Genoese annals, where it means lovable.[6] Hungarian preachers called Jesus amorosissimus, “most loving”.[7]

In Neo-Latin Ramminger records it in Benvenuto da Imola's commentary on Dante, of the young Pyramus, and in Nicholas of Cusa and Luther.[8]

Timeline

  • 13th century – First recorded in Medieval Latin.[1]
  • c. 1300 – English has amorous, from Old French.[3]
  • after 1327 – It is found in British sources.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Medieval Latin) Loving, affectionate, gentle.[4][7][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Graceful, beautiful.[4]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Dear, beloved, lovable.[4][7][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Of love, amatory; in love, amorous.[4][1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
  6. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  7. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  8. ^ Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de

Descendants

Cite this entry

“Amorosus.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/amorosus. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·