paramour

noun

par·​amour ˈper-ə-ˌmu̇r 

ˈpa-rə-

: lover

specifically : an illicit or secret lover

a married man and his paramour

Her account put him in the position of looking like the duped lover believing the cheating married paramour's protestation of love …

—Bettina Drew

Did you know?

Paramour came to English from French (a language based on Latin), though the modern French don't use the word. Since par amour meant "through love", it implies a relationship based solely on love, often physical love, rather than on social custom or ceremony. So today it tends to refer to the lover of a married man or woman, but may be used for any lover who isn't obeying the social rules.

Examples of paramour in a Sentence

And faster than you can say "You've got mail!" he fell hard for his unseen paramour. —Kipp Cheng, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 1998

His Vietnamese paramour was a young woman of remarkable beauty. —Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988

As the vessel made sail immediately, and landed no part of their cargo, there seemed little doubt that they were accomplices of the notorious Robertson, and that the vessel had only come into the firth to carry off his paramour. —Walter Scott, The Heart of Midlothian, 1818

Recent Examples on the Web

Potential paramours vie for your attention as the moon meets Venus. Read the full Gemini Daily Horoscope Cancer (June 22 - July 22) Putting aside your differences? —USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024

Perhaps the most notable example of this attitude is from Grimes, the experimental musician unfairly best known as a former paramour of Elon Musk and mother to three of his children. —Milan Kordestani, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024

However, some critics thoroughly enjoyed Phillips’ fresh spin on the Joker and his paramour. —Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024

Unaware they were being watched, Sherry Matthews dropped off her paramour in an alley between 17th and 18th Ave. —Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from par amour for the sake of love, willingly, from Anglo-French par amur

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

paramour

noun

par·​amour ˈpar-ə-ˌmu̇r 

: a partner in a sexual relationship other than that of husband and wife