ro|mance

ro|mance¹ «noun. roh MANS, ROH mans; verb. roh MANS», noun, verb, -manced, -manc|ing.

–n.

1. a love story: »

She read a cheap romance in that magazine.

SYNONYM(S): See syn. under novel. (Cf. ↑novel)

2. a story of adventure: »

“The Arabian Nights” and “Treasure Island” are romances.

SYNONYM(S): See syn. under novel. (Cf. ↑novel)

3. a medieval story or poem telling of heroes: »

Have you read the romances about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table?

4. a) real happenings that are like stories of heroes and are full of love, excitement, or noble deeds: »

The boy dreamed of traveling in search of romance. The explorer's life was filled with romance.

b) the character or quality of such events or conditions: »

This thing [lighting of the river] has knocked the romance out of piloting (Mark Twain).

5. interest in adventure and love: »

You have no romance in you (George Bernard Shaw).

6. a love affair: »

“Cinderella” is the story of the romance between a beautiful girl and a handsome prince.

7. a made-up story; extravagant or wild exaggeration: »

Nobody believeer romances about the wonderful things that have happened to her.

SYNONYM(S): falsehood.

8. adventure stories, poems and stories of heroes, noble deeds, and the like, as literature; romantic literature: »

I soon found…that the world in reality was very different from what it appeared in poetry and romance (Richard Graves).

–v.i.

1. to make up romances: »

Some children romance because of their lively imaginations.

2. to think or talk in a romantic way: »

Stop romancing and get down to work.

3. to exaggerate; lie: »

Now when, for the first time, they told the truth, they were supposed to be romancing (Macaulay).

–v.t.

Informal. to court as a lover; woo: »

His mother wouldn't have him romancing the scrubbing girl (Angela Carter).

╂[< Old French romanz verse narrative; vernacular, as in romanz escrire to write in the vernacular, “Roman” language < Vulgar Latin rōmānicē scrībere to write in Latin, instead of Frankish < Latin Rōmānus Roman < Rōma Rome]

ro|mance² «roh MANS», noun.

1. Music. a) a short, simple, sweet melody. b) a short melodic piece for a solo instrument or group of instruments, usually in a slow or moderate tempo.

2. in Spanish literature: a) a short narrative poem. b) a short lyric.

╂[< French romance < Spanish, a poem in stanzas < Old Provençal romans. Compare etym. under romance¹. (Cf. ↑romance)]

Ro|mance «roh MANS, ROH mans», noun, adjective.

–n.

the group of Romance languages.

–adj.

of or having to do with the Romance languages. Abbr: Rom.

╂[< obsolete French (langue) romance < Old French romanz; see etym. under romance¹ (Cf. ↑romance)]