amoretto

[ am-uh-ret-oh; Italian ah-maw-ret-taw ]

/ ˌæm əˈrɛt oʊ; Italian ˌɑ mɔˈrɛt tɔ /

noun, plural am·o·ret·ti [am-uh-ret-ee; Italian ah-maw-ret-tee] /ˌæm əˈrɛt i; Italian ˌɑ mɔˈrɛt ti/.

a little cupid.

Nearby words

amoraim, amoral, amorality, amorally, amorc, amoretto, amorino, amorist, amorite, amorites, amorosity

Origin of amoretto

1590–1600; < Italian, equivalent to amor(e) love (< Latin amōrem, accusative of amor) + -etto -et; cf. amour

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amoretti

Papponi, (of whom Amoretti writes,) a man of such susceptibility, was cured of convulsive attacks by change of place.
Summer on the Lakes, in 1843|S.M. Fuller
Some of the ‘Amoretti’ were doubtless addressed by Spenser in 1593 to the lady who became his wife a year later.
A Life of William Shakespeare|Sidney Lee
Amoretti conjectures that Pigafetta means the fusiniere, boats named after Fusine whence people are ferried to Venice.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522|Antonio Pigafetta
Mosto reads focine, which is amended by Amoretti to foscine.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522|Antonio Pigafetta

British Dictionary definitions for amoretti

amoretto

amorino (ˌæmɔːˈriːnəʊ)

/ (ˌæməˈrɛtəʊ) /

noun plural -retti (-ˈrɛtɪ) or -rini (-ˈriːnɪ)

(esp in painting) a small chubby naked boy representing a cupidAlso called: putto

Word Origin for amoretto

C16: from Italian, diminutive of Amore Cupid, from Latin Amor Love

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for amoretti

amoretto

1590s, from Italian, literally "little love," a diminutive of amore "love" (see Amy). This word was variously applied to love sonnets, cupids, etc. Also cf. Amaretto.