inamorata

American  

[in-am-uh-rah-tuh, in-am-] / ɪnˌæm əˈrɑ tə, ˌɪn æm- /

noun

plural

inamoratas

1. a woman who loves or is loved; female sweetheart or lover.

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inamorata British  

/ ɪnˌæməˈrɑːtə, ˌɪnæmə- /

noun

1. a woman with whom one is in love; a female lover

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Etymology

Origin of inamorata

1645–55; < Italian innamorata (feminine); inamorato

Explanation

If you want to sound a little old-fashioned, you might refer to your girlfriend as your inamorata. A woman you love in a romantic way is your inamorata, although it's not a very common term these days. It would be a little startling if your friend said, "I'd like to introduce you to my inamorata," though you'd know he meant "the woman I love." The male version of an inamorata is inamorato, which is even more rarely used. Both words come from the Italian innamorare, "to fall in love."

Example Sentences

“Children of a Lesser God,” in which a teacher at a school for the deaf trains his inamorata to speak, made a brief return to Broadway, with a mixed-race cast.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 17, 2018

That would be the same crazed, cuckolded Cardenio whom Don Quixote met in Chapter 23 of the novel, then helped reunite with his inamorata a hundred pages later.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2016

An earlier example of such presidential kibitzing, the Times notes, involved David Petraeus, the former CIA director who shared classified information with his inamorata.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2015

He expanded his brand with Catfish: The TV Series, an MTV reality show in which young people get Schulman and his friend/co-host Max Joseph to investigate their various sketchy inamorata.

From Slate • Sep. 9, 2014

But he never saw again the youthful inamorata who stirred 'the first cry of the awakening heart.'

From Victor Hugo: His Life and Works by Smith, G. Barnett