romance
UK[rəʊˈmæns]US[roʊˈmæns]
n
A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.
n
A love affair, especially a short and intense one.
n
A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.
n
A medieval tale dealing with a hero of chivalry, of the kind common in the Romance languages.
v
To court or woo romantically; to exaggerate or invent stories in an imaginative way.
Morpheme Breakdown
roman
ce
roman
type of language/narrative
ce
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'romance' began its journey in Medieval Latin as 'romanice,' an adverb meaning "in the Roman vernacular," as opposed to formal Latin. It was applied to popular narratives written in these vernacular languages, which often featured tales of chivalry, adventure, and courtly love. Over centuries, the term's association with these idealized, adventurous love stories became dominant, shifting from a linguistic and literary classification to encapsulate the feelings of excitement, mystery, and idealized love central to those narratives. Thus, the literal "in the Roman style" evolved into the abstract concepts of passionate love and imaginative allure.
Analysis
Structure: roman (type of language/narrative) + ce (noun suffix)
'Roman' originates from Latin 'Romanicus' (Roman, of Rome), referring to the vernacular languages derived from Latin. The suffix '-ce' is a reduced form from Old French, often used to form nouns indicating a quality or state.
Examples
Their holiday in Venice rekindled the romance in their marriage.
He was accused of romancing the facts in his report to make the project seem more successful.
She enjoys reading historical romances set in the Scottish Highlands.