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Webster 1913 Edition


Endearment

En-dear′ment

,
Noun.
The act of endearing or the state of being endeared; also, that which manifests, excites, or increases, affection.
“The great endearments of prudent and temperate speech.”
Jer. Taylor.
Her first
endearments
twining round the soul.
Thomson.

Webster 1828 Edition


Endearment

ENDE'ARMENT

,
Noun.
The cause of love; that which excites or increases affection, particularly that which excites tenderness of affection.
Her first endearments twining round the soul.
1.
The state of being beloved; tender affection.

Definition 2024


endearment

endearment

English

Alternative forms

Noun

endearment (plural endearments)

  1. The act or process of endearing, of causing (something or someone) to be loved or to be the object of affection.
    • 1913, William MacLeod Raine, The Vision Splendid, ch. 20:
      Every step of that walk led Jeff deeper into an excursion of endearment. It was amazingly true that he trod beside her an acknowledged friend, a secret lover.
  2. The state or characteristic of being endeared.
    • 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South, ch. 38:
      He could not forget the fond and earnest look that had passed between her and some other man—the attitude of familiar confidence, if not of positive endearment.
  3. An expression of affection.

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