different between playmate vs paramour

English

Etymology

From play +? mate. Compare earlier playfeer (“playmate”) of similar construction.

Noun

playmate (plural playmates)

1. A companion for someone (especially a child) to play with.

   • An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.

2. A female who has appeared as the centerfold in Playboy magazine.
3. (euphemistic) A person's lover.

Synonyms

• (companion for playing): playfellow

Translations

Anagrams

• metaplay, teamplay

English

Alternative forms

• paramours

Etymology

From Middle English paramour, paramoure, peramour, paramur, from Old French par amor (“for love's sake”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pæ.??.m??/, /?pæ.??.m??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?pæ??m??/

  (Mary–marry–merry distinction)

  (Mary–marry–merry merger)

Noun

paramour (plural paramours)

1. (somewhat archaic) An illicit lover, either male or female.

   Synonyms: leman, mistress; see also Thesaurus:mistress
2. (obsolete) The Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ (when addressed by a person of the opposite sex).

Translations

Adverb

paramour (not comparable)

1. (obsolete, of loving, etc.) Passionately, out of sexual desire. [from 14^thc.]

   Synonyms: devotedly, passionately

   • For paramour I loved her fyrst ere thou.

Further reading

• paramour on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “paramour”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.