paramour
Americannoun
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an illicit lover, especially of a married person.
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any lover.
noun
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derogatory a lover, esp an adulterous woman
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an archaic word for beloved
Etymology
Origin of paramour
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from the phrase par amour “by love, through love,” from Old French par “by, through” (from Latin per per ( def. ) ) + amo(u)r “love” ( see amour ( def. ))
Explanation
A paramour is a lover, and often a secret one you're not married to. So it's best not to kiss and make eyes at your paramour in public, unless you want to be the center of a lot of gossip. The noun paramour evolved from the French phrase par amour, meaning “passionately” or “with desire.” If you break it down, you get par, meaning "by," and amour, the French word for love. Once upon a time, women used this word to describe Christ, and men would use it to refer to the Virgin Mary. But eventually, paramour shed its religious connotations and came to mean “darling” or “sweetheart,” and later “mistress” or “clandestine lover.”
Vocabulary lists containing paramour
All You Need is Love: Amor and Phil
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In front of him, activists were emerging from a tour bus to gather in front of the historic Paramour Estate.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
For the trendy mom, Louis Vuitton’s highlighter hued fur bag charm is sure to delight as are the strappy Paramour pumps from Tamara Mellon; Meghan Markle recently wore a pair on an outing in London.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2018
The first show of the new season in May was Cirque du Soleil’s drone-happy Paramour, a feat of such staggering incompetence that it had its own perverse originality.
From The Guardian • Dec. 12, 2016
The Lyric currently plays host to Cirque du Soleil show Paramour, tickets for which are available until the end of July.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2016
Poppet asks as they walk away from the Paramour toward the courtyard.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
