amour French · revision 16358

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=842, Serments de Strasbourg (amur)|origins=la amō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /a.muʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''amour''' ''m or f'' (plural amours)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''amur'' (842), ''amor''; the regular outcome ''ameur'' is found in the early 13th century, ''amour'' from the 12th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary) The word was mostly feminine until the 17th century; the plural is still feminine in literary style.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|amor]], [[inh|la|amor|t=love]], from [[m|la|amō|t=to love]].^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|24, 464a) The regular French development would have been “ameur”, which is attested and survives in Picard; the vowel “ou” is due to the influence of [[pro|amor]], the word of the troubadours and of “fine amor”, courtly love.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)^(GLLF 1989) Bloch and Wartburg go further and call it a borrowing from Old Occitan.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ The masculine gender is probably due to Latin, especially through the god's name [[m|la|Amor]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Cognate with [[it|amore]] and [[es|amor]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The Serments de Strasbourg (842) have ''Pro Deo amur'' “for the love of God”, the Christian sense from Latin ''amor Dei''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old French it covered every strong affection, for God and for people, and meant “friendship” from 1139 to the 15th century; under Occitan influence it came to mean above all passionate, erotic love, as in Chrétien de Troyes.^(DHLF 1992) ''Un amour'', ''des amours'' named a person's love affairs (about 1150).^(DHLF 1992) By the late 12th century it also named the beloved, whence ''mon amour'' (1671).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ''Pour l'amour de Dieu'' goes back to the 11th century.^(DHLF 1992) The colloquial ''un amour de'' (a child, a hat) appears in Balzac.^(DHLF 1992) ''Amour-propre'' dates from 1613 and ''mamour'' from 1608.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) ''Ce n'est pas de l'amour, c'est de la rage'' is recorded in 1812.^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 842 – ''Pro Deo amur'' in the Serments de Strasbourg.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Par amur et par feid'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(Littré 1873)

+ * 1139 – The sense “friendship”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1150 – ''Des amours'', love affairs.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * Early 13th century – The regular form ''ameur''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1608 – ''M'amour'', ''mamour''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1613 – ''Amour-propre''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1671 – ''Mon amour'' as an endearment.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|love]], devotion to God, a cause or an ideal: ''l'amour de Dieu'', ''l'amour de la patrie''.^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Affection within a family: ''l'amour maternel''.^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Love between two people, passion: ''un amour partagé'', ''faire l'amour''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+ # A love affair: ''ses amours''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # A loved person: ''mon amour'', ''un amour de'', a delightful (child, thing).^(DHLF 1992)

+ # A strong liking for something: ''l'amour du jeu''.^(Larousse)

+ # ''(art)'' A [[m|en|cupid]], a figure of the god of love.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[amourette]]

+ * [[amour-propre]]

+ * [[mamour]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[aimer]]

+ * [[amoureux]]

+ * [[ami]]

+ * [[la|amor]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In the singular ''amour'' is masculine; in the plural it is feminine in literary style (''de folles amours'') and masculine in everyday use.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi) ''Amour blanc'' is a name of the grass carp.^(Larousse)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}