paramour

English

Alternative forms

• paramours

Etymology

From Old French par amor (“for love's sake”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpa.ɹə.mʊə/, /ˈpa.ɹə.mɔː/, X-SAMPA: /"p{r.@.mU@/
• (US) IPA: /ˈpæɹəmɔɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adverb

paramour (not comparable)

1. (obsolete, of loving, etc.) Passionately, out of sexual desire; devotedly. [from 14th c.]
   • Chaucer

     For par amour I loved her first ere thou.

   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book X:

     And as for to say that I love La Beall Isode paramoures, I dare make good that I do, and that she hath my servyse abovyn all other ladyes, and shall have, all the terme of my lyff.

Noun

paramour (plural paramours)

1. An illicit lover, either male or female.

Synonyms

• leman
• mistress

Translations

illicit lover

• Arabic: خليل (ar) (khalīl) m (male), خليلة (ar) (khalīla) f (female), عشيق (ar) (ʿashīq) m (male), عشيقة (ar) (ʿashīqa) f (female)
• Armenian: սիրած (hy) (siraç), սիրեկան (hy) (sirekan) (male), սիրուհի (hy) (siruhi) (female)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 姦夫 (cmn), 奸夫 (cmn) (jiānfū) (male); 姦婦 (cmn), 奸妇 (cmn) (jiānfù) (female), 情婦 (cmn), 情妇 (cmn) (qíngfù) (female), 相好的 (cmn) (xiānghǎo-de) (colloquial)

• Finnish: rakastaja (fi) (male), rakastajatar (fi) (female)
• French: amant (fr) m (male), maîtresse (fr) f (female)
• German: Geliebte (de) f, Geliebter (de) m, Liebhaber (de) m, Liebhaberin (de) f, Mätresse (de) f, Poussage (de) f

• Italian: amante (it) m and f
• Japanese: 愛人 (ja) (あいじん, aijin) (male and female), 情婦 (ja) (じょうふ, jōfu) (female only)
• Macedonian: љубовник (mk) (ljubóvnik) m (male), љубовница (mk) (ljubóvnica) f (female), швалерка (mk) (šválerka) f (female)
• Persian: فاسق (fa) (fâseq)
• Polish: kochanek (pl) m, kochanka (pl) f
• Russian: любовник (ru) (ljubóvnik) m (male), любовница (ru) (ljubóvnica) f (female)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:

  Roman: ljubavnik (sh) m, švaler (sh) m

• Slovene: ljubimec (sl) m, ljubimka (sl) f
• Spanish: amante (es) m and f, amor prohibido (es) m, aventura secreta (es) f