Adour

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a strong and enthusiastic admiration or a deep appreciation for a person or thing
2. It signifies a passionate fondness or fervent adoration particularly in the context of relationships
3. This word expresses intense affection or devotion, often reflecting a great enthusiasm for someone or something esteemed highly

Etymology: The English noun was borrowed directly from French, where the same spelling is also the name of a river in southwestern France, the Adour, which rises in the Pyrenees and flows to the Bay of Biscay. The shared spelling is the most striking thing about it: a reader meeting the word in French would first think of the river, and the sense of devotion comes from the separate French word rather than from the place. The word's relative "adore" is a different route, descending from Latin "adorare" to Old French "aorer" before entering English, so the noun and the verb reach the same idea of worship by different paths.

Synonyms: river Adour, waterway, stream, river, brook