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philander

[ fi-lan-der ]
/ fɪˈlæn dər /
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See synonyms for: philander / philandering / philanderer on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
(especially of a man) to have many casual sexual encounters or affairs, especially when married or in a committed relationship.
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Origin of philander

First recorded in 1675–85; from Greek phílandros “one who loves” (of a woman, loving her husband); see philo-, andro-; later used in fiction as a proper name for a lover, and apparently mistaken as “a man who loves”

OTHER WORDS FROM philander

phi·lan·der·er, noun

Words nearby philander

Philadelphia lawyer, Philadelphia pepper pot, Philadelphia scrapple, philadelphus, Philae, philander, philanderer, philanthropic, philanthropist, philanthropize, philanthropy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to philander

womanize, dally, flirt, trifle, wolf, fool around, mess around

How to use philander in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for philander

philander
/ (fɪˈlændə) /
verb
(intr often foll by with) (of a man) to flirt with women

Derived forms of philander

philanderer, nounphilandering, noun, adjective

Word Origin for philander

C17: from Greek philandros fond of men, from philos loving + anēr man; used as a name for a lover in literary works
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
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