Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Romance” come from?

Romance comes from Old French romanz, derived from Latin romanice loqui (to speak in the Roman language), from romanicus (Roman), ultimately from romanus (of Rome).

Romance (English): The group of languages and cultures which are...

Definitions

  1. The group of languages and cultures which are...

Ancestry of “Romance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishromauns—
2Old FrenchromanzOld French; a story in Old French; account
3Latinrōmānicē—
4Latin-ē—
5Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
6Latincalceusshoe
7Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
8Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “Romance”

  • Ibero-Romance
  • Gallo-Romance
  • pan-Romance
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →