Romance: "story of a hero's adventures" -late 1300's & early 14th

romance  word origin:


c.1300, "story of a hero's adventures," also (early 14c.),

verb (used with object)


 Informal .

a. to court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness: He's currently romancing a very attractive person.

b. to court the favor of or make overtures to; play up to:


World English Dictionary 


romance

— n

1. a love affair, esp an intense and happy but short-lived affair involving young people

2. love, esp romantic love idealized for its purity or beauty

3. a spirit of or inclination for adventure, excitement, or mystery

4. a mysterious, exciting, sentimental, or nostalgic quality, esp one associated with a place

5. a narrative in verse or prose, written in a vernacular language in the Middle Ages, dealing with strange and exciting adventures of chivalrous heroes

6. any similar narrative work dealing with events and characters remote from ordinary life

7. the literary genre represented by works of these kinds

8. (in Spanish literature) a short narrative poem, usually an epic or historical ballad

9. a story, novel, film, etc, dealing with love, usually in an idealized or sentimental way

10. an extravagant, absurd, or fantastic account or explanation

11. a lyrical song or short instrumental composition having a simple melody






[C13: romauns , from Old French romans , ultimately from Latin Rōmānicus Roman]
ro'mancer
— n