Word
amour
US/ˌɑˈmuɹ/
UK/ˈæmɐ/
Definitions
01a secret love affair
n. a secret love affair, especially one that is not considered proper.
n. a clandestine or illicit love affair. Often used in literary contexts to describe romantic entanglements.
“The old letters revealed a secret amour between the prince and the commoner.”
“The biography focuses less on his political achievements and more on his various amours with the leading actresses of the day.”
Literary · Archaic
Usage
Usually countable when referring to specific instances of affairs.
02a lover
n. a person that someone is having a secret romantic relationship with.
n. a person with whom one has a love affair; a paramour.
“He was seen walking through the park with his latest amour.”
“In the final act of the play, the protagonist is forced to choose between his duty to the crown and his devotion to his secret amour.”
Literary · Archaic
Usage
Countable in this sense.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English amour, from Middle French amour, from Old French amor, from Latin amor. The modern pronunciation is due to continual French influence; the expected development would be /ˈæmə(ɹ)/, as seen in enamour, enamoured.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/amour