Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - romance

 adjective  Date: 1690 of, relating to, or being any of the languages developed from Latin (as Italian, French, and Spanish) ROMANCE  I. noun  Etymology: Middle English romauns, from Anglo-French romanz French, narrative in French, from Medieval Latin Romanice in a vernacular (as opposed to Latin), from Late Latin Romanus Gallo-Romance speaker (as opposed to a Frank), from Latin, Roman  Date: 14th century  1.  a.  (1) a medieval tale based on legend, chivalric love and adventure, or the supernatural  (2) a prose narrative treating imaginary characters involved in events remote in time or place and usually heroic, adventurous, or mysterious  (3) a love story especially in the form of a novel  b. a class of such literature  2. something (as an extravagant story or account) that lacks basis in fact  3. an emotional attraction or aura belonging to an especially heroic era, adventure, or activity  4. love affair  5. capitalized the Romance languages  II. verb  (~d; romancing)  Date: 1655  intransitive verb  1. to exaggerate or invent detail or incident  2. to entertain romantic thoughts or ideas  transitive verb  1. to try to influence or curry favor with especially by lavishing personal attention, gifts, or flattery  2. to carry on a love affair with  III. noun  Etymology: German Romanze & French ~, both ultimately from Spanish ~ ~, ballad, from Old Occitan & Old French romanz  Date: circa 1854 a short instrumental piece in ballad style ROMANCER  noun  Date: 1654  1. a writer of romance  2. one that romances