amore (Italian)
Where does "amore" come from?
The Italian word 'amore' descends from the Latin 'amorem', which emerged from the verb 'amo'. This Latin root is thought to stem from a Proto-Indo-European term meaning 'to grasp' or 'to take hold'. Over time, the meaning evolved from physically taking hold of someone to the figurative act of regarding them as a friend and eventually to the modern concept of love.
Full etymology tree
- amore (Italian), 'love'
- inherited amōrem (Latin), 'accusative singular of amor'
- inherited amor (Latin), 'love, affection, devotion (for a person, one's family, one's country)'
- derived amō (Latin), 'to love'
- inherited *amō (Proto-Italic), 'to get hold of'
- inherited *h₃emh₃- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to grab, to grasp, to seize, to take hold, tackle, touch'
- inherited *amō (Proto-Italic), 'to get hold of'
- suffix -or (Latin), 'used to form an abstract noun from a verb root or conceived root form'
- derived amō (Latin), 'to love'
- inherited amor (Latin), 'love, affection, devotion (for a person, one's family, one's country)'
- inherited amōrem (Latin), 'accusative singular of amor'
Ancestors
- amor (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- αμόρε (Greek)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris