Relationships

paramour | parm | adv. & n. ME. [OFr. par amour(s) by or through love, f. as PAR prep., AMOUR.] A adv. Orig. two wds. 1 Through or by way of love; out of (your) love, for love's sake. Also, as a favour, if you please. ME-E17. 2 For or by way of sexual love. Formerly chiefly in love paramour, love amorously, be in love with, have a love affair with. arch. ME. B n. 1 Love; esp. sexual love; an amour. LME-L16. 2 A person beloved by one of the opposite sex; a lover, a sweetheart. Also, an animal's mate. arch. & poet. LME. b (As used by a man) the Virgin Mary; (as used by a woman) Jesus Christ. Also, God. LME-L16. c The lady for whom a knight did battle; an object of chivalrous admiration and attachment. poet. E16. 3 An illicit or clandestine lover taking the place of a husband or wife; an illicit partner of a married person. LME.

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Excerpted from The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia

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An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love and liking, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships take place in a great variety of contexts, such as family, friends, marriage, associates, work, clubs, neighborhoods, and churches. They may be regulated by law, custom, or mutual agreement, and are the basis of social groups and society as a whole. Although humans are fundamentally social creatures, interpersonal relationships are not always healthy. Examples of unhealthy relationships include abusive relationships and codependence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_relationship

An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship. It is a relationship in which the participants know or trust one another very well or are confidants of one another, or a relationship in which there is physical or emotional intimacy.

Intimate relationships play a central role in the overall human experience.[1] Humans have a universal need to belong which is satisfied when intimate relationships are formed.[2] Intimate relationships consist of the people that we are attracted to, whom we like and love, romantic and sexual relationships, and those who we marry and provide emotional and personal support.[1] Intimate relationships provide people with a social network of people that provide strong emotional attachments and fulfill our universal needs of belongingness and the need to be cared for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimate_relationship