Etymograph

English

inamorata

Inamorata comes from Italian innamorato ‘lover, boyfriend’, from innamorare ‘to make somebody fall in love’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- ‘to grab, to grasp, to seize, to take hold,…’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃emh₃-1‘to grab, to grasp, to seize, to take hold, tackle, touch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amāō1‘to get hold of’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamō1‘to love’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamor2as amōrem‘love, affection, devotion’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentamore3‘love’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentinnamorare3‘to make somebody fall in love’
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentinnamorato3‘lover, boyfriend’
  8. Italianc. 1300–presentinnamorata3feminine form of innamorato
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1828inamorata3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin amor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Italian amore
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English inamorata
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1828, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […]: “Presently Monsieur Margot made his appearance. Though very much…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃emh₃-Wiktionary, Latin amor‘to grab, to grasp, to seize, to take hold, tackle, touch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amāōWiktionary, Latin amor‘to get hold of’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamōWiktionary, Latin amor‘to love’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamorWiktionary, Italian amoreas amōrem‘love, affection, devotion’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentamoreWiktionary, English inamorata‘love’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentinnamorareWiktionary, English inamorata‘to make somebody fall in love’
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentinnamoratoWiktionary, English inamorata‘lover, boyfriend’
  8. Italianc. 1300–presentinnamorataWiktionary, English inamoratafeminine form of innamorato
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1828inamorataWiktionary, English inamorata. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1828, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […]: “Presently Monsieur Margot made his appearance. Though very much…”

Linked words

through Latin amō ‘to love’

enemy, enmity, amicable, amity, amenity, inimical, 19 more

through Latin amor ‘love, affection, devotion’

amour, amorous, 6 more

Today it means

noun A female lover or woman with whom one is in love; a mistress.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inamorata”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin amor, Italian amore. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- / inamorata

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