noun
flame
An intense romantic attachment.
Their romantic flame still burns brightly after twenty years together.
Etymology
The Latin word names a flame. Romantic feeling borrows its heat and intensity, presenting an attachment as a fire burning in the person who feels it.
More examples
- She runs into an old flame at the grocery store.
- His new flame joins us for dinner.
- They keep the flame of their love alive through daily letters.
Forms
flame · flames
Similar words
- passion
- Names the intense feeling, not the person loved.
- sweetheart
- Names a person currently loved, not necessarily a former lover.