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philander

[ fi-lan-der ]
/ fɪˈlæn dər /
||
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verb (used without object)

(of a man) to make love with a woman one cannot or will not marry; carry on flirtations.

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RELATED WORDS

womanize, flirt, trifle, dally, wolf

Nearby words

  1. philadelphia lawyer,
  2. philadelphia pepper pot,
  3. philadelphia scrapple,
  4. philadelphus,
  5. philae,
  6. philanderer,
  7. philandering,
  8. philanthrope,
  9. philanthropic,
  10. philanthropist

Origin of philander

1675–85; < 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”
Related formsphi·lan·der·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for philandering

British Dictionary definitions for philandering

philander

/ (fɪˈlændə) /

verb

(intr often foll by with) (of a man) to flirt with women
Derived Formsphilanderer, 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
Word Origin and History for philandering

philander

v.

1737, from the noun meaning "a lover" (1700), from Philander, popular name for a lover in stories, drama, and poetry, from Greek adjective philandros "with love for people," perhaps mistaken as meaning "a loving man," from phil- "loving" (see philo-) + andr-, stem of aner "man" (see anthropo-). Related: Philandered; philandering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper