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romance

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The definition of a romance is a love affair, an idealized love story or a showing of love.

(noun)

An example of romance is the relationship between John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

See romance in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a long medieval narrative in verse or prose, orig. written in one of the Romance dialects, about the adventures of knights and other chivalric heroes
a fictitious tale of wonderful and extraordinary events, characterized by a nonrealistic and idealizing use of the imagination
a type of novel in which the emphasis is on love, adventure, etc.
the type of literature comprising such stories
excitement, love, and adventure of the kind found in such literature; romantic quality or spirit
the tendency to derive great pleasure from romantic adventures; romantic sentiment
an exaggeration or fabrication that has no real substance
a love affair
Music a short, lyrical, usually sentimental piece, suggesting a love song

Origin: ME < OFr romanz < romanz (escrire), (to write) in Roman (i.e., the vernacular, not Latin) < VL Romanice (scribere) < L Romanicus, Roman

intransitive verb romanced, romancing

to make up false or exaggerated stories
to think or talk about romantic things
Informal to make love; court; woo

transitive verb

to make love to; woo
to seek to gain the favor of, as by flattery; court

Related Forms:

romancer noun

adjective

designating, of, or constituting any of the languages derived from Vulgar Latin, as Italian, Spanish, French, or Romanian

Origin: < obs. Fr (langue) romance, Romance language < OFr romanz: see romance

noun

these languages as a group

See romance in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. A love affair.
b. Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love: They kept the romance alive in their marriage for 35 years.
c. A strong, sometimes short-lived attachment, fascination, or enthusiasm for something: a childhood romance with the sea.
A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful: “These fine old guns often have a romance clinging to them” (Richard Jeffries).
a. A long medieval narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes: an Arthurian romance.
b. A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place.
c. The class of literature constituted by such tales.
a. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.
b. The class or style of such works.
A fictitiously embellished account or explanation: We have been given speculation and romance instead of the facts.
Music A lyrical, tender, usually sentimental song or short instrumental piece.
Romance The Romance languages.