A lover or romantic partner, especially someone who is involved in a secret or forbidden relationship outside of marriage.
From Old French 'par amour,' meaning 'through love' or 'for love's sake.' The phrase combined 'par' (by) with 'amour' (love), originally used for any passionate lover but later implied secrecy or illicitness.
This word comes from a French phrase and was often used in literature to describe noble characters caught in forbidden romances—it carries a certain poetic drama that 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' just doesn't have!
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