Romance Language
/ˈroʊmæns ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/noun
Any of the languages descended from Latin, including French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.
Did you know?The word Romance here comes from Medieval Latin romanice, meaning “in the Roman manner,” and it first referred to speaking in the vernacular rather than Latin — a linguistic split that reshaped Europe.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
Romanicus
“Roman; of Rome”
Late Latin
Latin
romanice
“in the Roman manner; in the vernacular”
Old French
Old French
romanz
“a vernacular language, especially one descended from Latin”
12th Century
English
romance
“a vernacular story or narrative written in a Romance language”
Modern English
English
Romance language
“a language descended from Latin”
Explore more surprising origins