Touching or stroking gently and lovingly; expressing affection through gentle touch.
From French 'caressant' (caressing), the present participle of 'caresser', from Old French and Italian roots meaning to treat tenderly. This is a more poetic or literary form than the English '-ing' version.
This French-influenced adjective survived in English mainly in poetry and romantic literature, making it a beautiful example of how some words become 'frozen' in certain artistic registers rather than everyday speech.
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