Romance
/ˈroʊ.mæns/noun
A feeling of love and excitement, or a story about love and adventure.
Did you know?In medieval Europe, a “romance” was first a story written in the vernacular Romance languages, and only later did the word narrow into tales of courtly love and adventure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁reǵ-
“to rule, to straighten”
Latin
Latin
Rōmānīce
“in the Roman manner; in the Romance vernacular”
Old French
Old French
romanz
“a vernacular language; a story written in that language”
Middle English
English
romance
“a tale of adventure, chivalry, or love”
Modern English
English
romance
“love, especially idealized or sentimental love”