romance 1
— romancer , n.
n. , adj. /roh mans", roh"mans/ ; v. /roh mans"/ , n. , v. , romanced, romancing , adj.
n.
1. a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.
2. the colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.
3. a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.
4. a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.
5. a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire.
6. romantic character or quality.
7. a romantic affair or experience; a love affair.
8. ( cap. ) Also, Romanic . Also called Romance languages . the group of Italic Indo-European languages descended since A.D. 800 from Latin, as French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian, Provençal, Catalan, Rhaeto-Romanic, Sardinian, and Ladino. Abbr.: Rom.
v.i.
9. to invent or relate romances; indulge in fanciful or extravagant stories or daydreams.
10. to think or talk romantically.
v.t.
11. Informal.
a. to court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness: He's currently romancing a very attractive widow.
b. to court the favor of or make overtures to; play up to: They need to romance the local business community if they expect to do business here.
adj.
12. ( cap. ) Also, Romanic . of, pertaining to, or noting Romance: a Romance language.
[ 1250-1300; ME romaunce Romanic language, composition in such a language romanz, romans (adj.) Romanic Romanice (adv.) in a Romance language, deriv. of L Romanicus ROMANIC ]
Syn. 1. story, fiction. 4. falsehood, fable. 6. allure, fascination, exoticism.
romance 2
/roh mans"/ , n.
1. Music. a short, simple melody, vocal or instrumental, of tender character.
2. Sp. Lit. a short epic poem, esp. a historical ballad.
[ 1595-1605; romanz ROMANCE 1 ]