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Origin of romance

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English romaunce, romanz, romanys, from Old French romanz, romans “story, narrative, history in the vernacular (French) language; a Romance language,” from assumed Vulgar Latin Rōmānicē (scrībere) (adverb) “(to write) in the vernacular, in a Romance language” (i.e., as opposed to Latin), derivative of Latin Rōmānicus “in the Roman style or pattern”; see Romanic

OTHER WORDS FROM romance

ro·manc·er, noun

Other definitions for romance (2 of 2)

romance2
[ roh-mans ]
/ roʊˈmæns /

noun
Music. a short, simple melody, vocal or instrumental, of tender character.
Spanish Literature. a short epic poem, especially a historical ballad.

Origin of romance

2
First recorded in 1595–1605; from French, from Spanish romance “kind of poem in octosyllabic verse, ballad,” from Old French romanz romance1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use romance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for romance (1 of 2)

romance

noun (rəˈmæns, ˈrəʊmæns)
verb (rəˈmæns)

Derived forms of romance

romancer, noun

Word Origin for romance

C13: romauns, from Old French romans, ultimately from Latin Rōmānicus Roman

British Dictionary definitions for romance (2 of 2)

Romance
/ (rəˈmæns, ˈrəʊmæns) /

adjective
denoting, relating to, or belonging to the languages derived from Latin, including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Romanian
denoting a word borrowed from a Romance languagethere are many Romance words in English
noun
this group of languages; the living languages that belong to the Italic branch of the Indo-European family
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

Cultural definitions for romance

romance

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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