different between caress vs caresser

English

Etymology

From French caresse, from Italian carezza (“dear”), from Latin c?rus (“dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh?-, akin to Sanskrit ??? (k?ma, “love”). Doublet of karezza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k????s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Noun

caress (plural caresses)

1. An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [from 1640s]
   • 1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha
2. A gentle stroking or rubbing.

Translations

Verb

caress (third-person singular simple present caresses, present participle caressing, simple past and past participle caressed)

1. (transitive) To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.

   Synonyms: hold, soothe, stroke, kiss; see also Thesaurus:fondle, Thesaurus:kiss

2. (transitive) To affect as if with a caress.
   • 2012, Mel Berry, Graceful Intentions (page 1)

     The love and anguish in his voice caressed my mind and soul.

Translations

Anagrams

• Crases, SERCAs, carses, casers, crases, sacres, scares, seracs, séracs

English

Etymology

caress +? -er

Noun

caresser (plural caressers)

1. One who caresses.

Translations

Anagrams

• creasers

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian carezzare. Morphologically, from caresse +? -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.??.se/

Verb

caresser

1. to stroke; to caress (to move the hand over the surface of)
2. to toy with
3. to touch up; put the final touches on.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• caresser dans le sens du poil

Further reading

• “caresser” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).