Also 4 amoure, 6–7 amor. [a. OFr. amur, amour:—L. amōr-em love, f. amā-re to love. In 13–15th c. accented amou·r, but thoroughly naturalized; hence duly became a·mour in 15–17th (cf. ena·mour); in 16–17th often written amor after L. But by 17th the good or neutral sense of the word became obs.; and being retained only in senses 3–4, it came to be treated more or less as a euphemistic employment of mod.Fr., and hence again accented amou·r (Milton, Butler, Pope, etc.).]
† 1. gen. Love, affection, friendship. Obs.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 4573. Alisaunder … wolde him, with gret honour, Have y-fonge in his amour.
c. 1330. Florice & Bl., 521. Tho spak Clarice to Blauncheflour Wordes ful of fin amour.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knts. T., 297. For par amour I loved hire first or thou.
1660. R. Burney, Κέρδ. Δῶρον, (1661), 133. The great City in homage to the Kings Majesty, the Kings Majesty in Amour with the City of London, is the holy bands of Matrimony.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., IV. 350. Oh love of gold! thou meanest of amours!
† 2. pl. The tender affections, love towards one of the opposite sex (L. amores, Fr. amours). In amours (with): in love (with). Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VIII. 498. Than mycht he weill ask ane lady Hir amouris and hir drowry.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, VII. 99. Hyr amowris þus til my Hart rynnys.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froissart, I. lxxvii. 98. The kyng of Englande was in amours with the countesse of Salisbury. Ibid., cccxliv. 543. In true amours togyder eche of other.
1590. Greene, Arcadia (1616), 11. He could not bridle his new conceiued amors.
1625. Shirley, Love-tricks, V. iii. Out of mere amors and affections.
1727. Arbuthnot, John Bull (1755), 48. There is nothing so obstinate as a young lady in her amours.
3. A love-affair, love-making, courtship. (Now only humorously of honorable love-making.)
1567. Drant, Horace, Arte Poet., A iij. The Musies taughte in lyrike verse … Amors of youth and banquets francke On instruments to sing.
1665. Pepys, Diary, 15 Aug. To leave the young people together to begin their amours.
1678. Butler, Hudibr., III. i. 913. In all amours a lover burns With frowns as well as smiles, by turns.
1791. Hamilton, Berthollet’s Dyeing, II. II. iii. 169. The life of the cochineal insect terminates by its amours.
1814. Scott, Wav., xxiii. 104. You cannot expect me to disturb him in his amours.
1828. Kirby & Spence, Entomol., III. xxxii. 313. These gentlemen may have mistaken a battle for an amour.
4. usually, An illicit love affair, an intrigue.
a. 1626. Bacon, Q. Eliz., Wks. 1860, 481. King Henry the Eighth was engaged in a new amour.
1673. Dryden, Marr. à la Mode, II. i. Intrigue, Philotis, that’s an old phrase; I have laid that word by: amour sounds better.
1678. Butler, Hudibr., III. i. 679. Few of either sex dare marry, But rather trust, on tick, t’amours.
1790. Cath. M. Graham, Lett. Educ., 144. Criminal amours are in general censured in these works.
1876. Freeman, Norm. Conq., I. iv. 252. The amours or doubtful marriages of the Norman Dukes.
