Valentine

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvaləntaɪn/

Definitions

1. A person toward whom affection or romantic love is directed, or a greeting card or gift exchanged on February 14th to express such feelings
2. A person who is the object of one's affection or romantic love, or a card or gift given on February 14th to express tender feelings
3. Someone romantically loved or admired, or a sentimental message or present exchanged on the feast day dedicated to courtship and devotion

Etymology: The name goes back to Saint Valentine, a third-century Christian martyr whose feast day, 14 February, became the day for romantic love. The noun "valentine" was derived from that holiday: the sense "someone romantically loved" arose because the person you chose or met on the feast was your valentine, and the "sentimental message or present" sense grew from the cards and gifts customarily exchanged that day. So the word's core meaning is the person, not the card, and the greeting came later. The saint himself is a shadowy figure. Several early Christian Valentines are recorded, and the tradition linking his feast to courtship has no firm basis in the early sources. The association with love was attached to the date in later medieval writing, most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry, where the day is linked with birds choosing their mates, and that literary association is what gave the holiday its romantic character.

Synonyms: sweetheart, beloved, darling

Antonyms: enemy, rival