- romance (n.)
- c.1300, "story of a hero's adventures," also (early 14c.), "vernacular language of France" (as opposed to Latin), from Old French romanz "verse narrative," originally an adverb, "in the vernacular language," from Vulgar Latin *romanice scribere "to write in a Romance language" (one developed from Latin instead of Frankish), from Latin Romanicus "of or in the Roman style," from Romanus "Roman" (see Roman). The connecting notion is that medieval vernacular tales were usually about chivalric adventure. Literary sense extended by 1660s to "a love story." Extended 1610s to other modern languages derived from Latin (Spanish, Italian, etc.). Meaning "adventurous quality" first recorded 1801; that of "love affair, idealistic quality" is from 1916.
- romance (v.)
- "court as a lover," 1938, from romance (n.). Related: Romanced; romancing.