A person who loves someone, especially in a romantic or sexual relationship. Also refers to someone with a strong enthusiasm for a particular activity or thing.
From Old English 'lufere', from 'lufian' (to love) + agent suffix '-ere'. The word has maintained its dual meaning of romantic partner and enthusiast since Middle English, showing how 'love' applies to both people and passions.
The word 'lover' beautifully demonstrates how English uses the same term for romantic attachment and passionate interest - we can be lovers of people, music, or food with equal linguistic validity. This reflects a deep truth about human nature: we experience intense attraction to both individuals and ideas.
Historically, 'lover' carried gendered moral judgment: women called lovers faced stigma; men did not. Language encoded sexual double standards.
Use neutrally for any gender in romantic/sexual context. Recognize that moral language around sexuality has historically targeted women.
Women's reclamation of sexual agency challenged gendered moral hierarchies; feminist scholarship interrogates how language enforces reproductive and sexual control.
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