romance English · revision 6010

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1300|origins=fro romanz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /rəʊˈmæns/, /ˈrəʊ.mæns/, US /roʊˈmæns/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English romaunce, [[bor|fro|romanz|t=verse narrative; the vernacular language]] (modern French roman),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) originally an adverb “in the vernacular”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from Vulgar Latin *rōmānicē scrībere “to write in a Romance language”, one descended from Latin rather than Frankish,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[m|la|Rōmānicus|t=of or in the Roman style]], from Rōmānus (see [[Roman]]).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021) The OED notes that the spelling with -aunce, -ance was adopted very early in English, probably on the analogy of abstract nouns.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A story in verse of the adventures of a knight or hero: probably before 1300 in Barnhart, about 1300 in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The vernacular language of France, as opposed to Latin, is from before 1338, in Mannyng, and about 1330 in the OED.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Medieval tales in the vernacular, unlike Latin texts, typically told chivalric adventures full of marvels, so that the word came to mean any fiction remote from everyday life, and, since love was a frequent subject, a love story.^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) A prose fiction of this kind is from 1638,^(OED 1989) and a love story by the 1660s.^(Etymonline) Romance was extended to Spanish, Italian and the other languages from Latin in 1612.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) An imaginative, adventurous quality is from 1801,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and a love affair by 1916, in Shaw's ''Overruled'';^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Word Origins calls the senses of idealized love and a love affair Victorian.^(Cresswell 2021) The verb meant to recite a romance about 1390, to invent stories from 1671, and to court as a lover from 1938.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A Spanish historical ballad is from 1605, from Spanish romance,^(OED 1989) and a short lyrical piece of music from 1783.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1300 – a tale of chivalry.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1330 – the vernacular of France.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1612 – the Romance languages.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1660s – a love story.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1801 – an adventurous quality.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1916 – a love affair.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1938 – to court.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A love affair, especially a short, intense one.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Love, or the excitement and mystery associated with it.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A quality of mystery, adventure or excitement.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A story, film or novel about love.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A medieval tale of [[chivalry]] and adventure.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(music)'' A short, lyrical piece.^(AHD)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(Romance)'' Of the languages that developed from [[Latin]], such as French, Spanish and Italian.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To try to win the love of; to court.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # To exaggerate or invent stories.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[romancer]]

+ * [[romantic]]

+ * [[outromance]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Roman]]

+ * [[novel]]

+ * [[romanticism]]

+ * [[Romansh]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}