amour
English
Alternative forms
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.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /əˈmʊə/, /aˈmʊə/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (US) IPA(key): /əˈmʊɹ/, /ɑˈmʊɹ/, /-ˈmoɹ/
- Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ)
Noun
amour (countable and uncountable, plural amours)
- Courtship; flirtation.
- 1925, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, chapter 4, in The Great Gatsby, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1953, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 78–79:
- Perhaps Daisy never went in for amour at all—and yet there's something in that voice of hers….
- A love affair.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, “A Dialogue between Mr. Jones and the Barber”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VIII, page 180:
- Jones had mentioned the Fact of his Amour, and of his being the Rival of Blifil, but had cautiously concealed the Name of the young Lady.
- 1990 October 26, Jerry Sullivan, “Field & Street”, in Chicago Reader[1]:
- The amours of the greater scaup are, if anything, even more varied.
- A lover.
- 1845 April, Ned Buntline, “A Night-Adventure in Cuba”, in The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, volume XXV, number 4, New York, N.Y.: […] John Allen, […], page 326:
- ‘Dulce, will you go to the masquerade-ball to night?’ said I to my lesser-half, on a bright evening during the gayest part of the ‘carnival season.’ / ‘No, my amor,’ answered she; ‘I am ill this evening; do n’t go out to-night, but stay by my side, and let your cheering presence save a doctor’s fee.’
- 2000 December 29, James McManus, “The Winter Casino”, in Chicago Reader[2]:
- Makes you wonder how they were able to see their amours, or their hands...
- (obsolete) Love, affection.
Derived terms
Related terms
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French amour, from Old French amor, from Latin amor. The regular phonetic development would be ameur, attested in Old French; there has probably been an influence from Old Occitan.
Pronunciation
Noun
amour m or f (plural amours)
- love
- 1931, “J’ai deux amours”, performed by Josephine Baker:
- J’ai deux amours / Mon pays et Paris
- I have two loves / My country and Paris
- 2008, Cécile Corbel (lyrics and music), “Where have you been”, in Songbook vol. 3 - renaissance[3] (CD), Brittany: Keltia Musique:
- Ô mon Amour/ Mes pensées sont en voyage / Elles s’enroulent comme un ruban / O my love I’ve been searching / But I don’t know how / To find my way in the world without you
- O my Love / My thoughts are wandering / They wind like a ribbon / O my love I’ve been searching / But I don’t know how / To find my way in the world without you
Usage notes
- Though masculine when singular, the word amour is feminine when plural in the literary language; the same applies to délice and orgue.
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “amour”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French amour, from Old French amor, from Latin amor.
Sense 3 could be due to the influence of Middle French ameur (“lover”), from Old French ameor, from Latin amātor, but may instead be a semantic development from the first two senses; compare love (“love, lover”).
Pronunciation
Noun
amour (plural amours)
Related terms
Descendants
References
- “amǒur, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “amǒur, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French amor, from Latin amor.
Noun
amour m (plural amours)
Descendants
Norman
Etymology
From Old French amor, from Latin amor.
Noun
amour m (plural amours)
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ʊə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ʊə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Love
- French terms inherited from Middle French
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French terms inherited from Old French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms inherited from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French terms derived from Old Occitan
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- Rhymes:French/uʁ
- Rhymes:French/uʁ/2 syllables
- French terms with homophones
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French feminine nouns
- French nouns with multiple genders
- French terms with quotations
- fr:Love
- Middle English terms borrowed from Middle French
- Middle English terms derived from Middle French
- Middle English terms derived from Old French
- Middle English terms derived from Latin
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English terms with rare senses
- enm:Love
- enm:People
- Middle French terms inherited from Old French
- Middle French terms derived from Old French
- Middle French terms inherited from Latin
- Middle French terms derived from Latin
- Middle French lemmas
- Middle French nouns
- Middle French masculine nouns
- Middle French countable nouns
- Norman terms inherited from Old French
- Norman terms derived from Old French
- Norman terms inherited from Latin
- Norman terms derived from Latin
- Norman lemmas
- Norman nouns
- Norman masculine nouns
- Jersey Norman
- nrf:Love