Etymograph

English

paramour

Paramour comes from Anglo-Norman par amur ‘in a friendly or willing manner’, from Latin per ‘by means of, through’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘to go through’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*perreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEper‘by means of, through’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400par amur‘in a friendly or willing manner’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500par amour‘with sexual desire or love, passionately’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1531paramour

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘to go through’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*perreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEper‘by means of, through’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400par amur‘in a friendly or willing manner’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500par amour‘with sexual desire or love, passionately’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1531paramour

Earliest quotation: 1531, Thomas Elyot, Of Sobrietie in Diete: “[…] Cleopatra, doughter of Ptolomee late kinge of Egypt…”

The story

The noun is from Middle English paramour, paramoure, paramur, peramour (‘wife; concubine; mistress; husband; male lover; darling, sweetheart; romantic love; sexual passion; (Christianity) Jesus Christ; the Virgin Mary; divine or spiritual love’), from par amour, paramore (adverb) (see above), possibly from a misinterpretation of to love paramour(s) (‘to love passionately’) to mean “to love a beloved person”.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to go through’

first, before, support, report, far, price, private, press, further, opportunity, pre, practice, prior, prime, appreciate, port, fear, primary, prize, afford, pregnant, ford, forth, practical, interpretation, privilege, precious, praise, ferry, porch, primitive, pirate, prix, fare, parade, interpreter, privy, prism, pardon, proton, 156 more

through Latin per ‘by means of, through’

per, par

Today it means

noun A person who is the object of one's love, especially in an affair or romance; a lover; also, a sexual partner.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / paramour

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