Romancings

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Engaging in acts or adventures characterized by love, chivalry, or idealized emotion; narrating or participating in tales of heroic or amorous exploits; experiencing or pursuing romantic interest with enthusiasm
2. Taking part in passionate or idealistic endeavors typically involving affection or adventurous tales; telling or living out stories marked by noble or amorous adventures; indulging in expressions of love and chivalry with vigor
3. Involvement in fanciful or adventurous love affairs or heroic quests; recounting or immersing oneself in narratives of noble or amorous deeds; actively seeking or enjoying romantic and idealized experiences

Etymology: "Romancings" is the plural form of "romancing," the present participle and gerund of the verb "romance." Its history therefore runs through that verb: "romance" was borrowed into English from Old French "romanz," a term for a work written in the vernacular rather than Latin, and over time its meaning drifted from the tales themselves to the love and daring those tales described. The plural matters here because the word is used for many separate episodes of amorous or heroic pursuit, each one a small "romance" in its own right. Speakers reach for the plural when talking about a person's string of such affairs or adventures, so the form carries the sense of repeated episodes rather than a single one.

Synonyms: flirtations, courtships, love affairs