Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

I've always hated how infantile it seems for adults to refer to each other as a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” I'm not too crazy about any of the alternative terms in that article either. I sort of like the word “companion,” but it seems a little bit awkward too. I propose that we borrow the Spanish words “novio” and “novia,” but I'm not holding my breath for that to catch on.

There's something else that's a little awkward about “girlfriend”: whenever I hear a female talk about having a “girlfriend,” I frequently wonder whether she's talking about a platonic friendship or a lesbian relationship (In my experience, it's usually the first one, but occasionally it's the second). This seems especially odd since I don't think I've ever heard a heterosexual male talk about having a “boyfriend.”

Come to think of it, borrowing some Spanish words could also clear up some of the ambiguity surrounding “girlfriend.” We could use “amiga” to describe a platonic female friend and “novia” to describe a romantic/sexual partner. Again, I'm not holding my breath for this to happen.

My nephew's "significant other" complained about this up to me at Thanksgiving. Initially, I suggested "paramour" because of the way it flows, but realized its original meaning as an illicit lover (French—-go figure) could give the wrong idea. I'd like to broaden its use beyond that meaning; if living together is no longer a sin, then why should paramour be only for illicit lovers? Nonetheless, I found another legitimate (no pun intended) word pair in English, though somewhat less mellifluous for the average American speaker, that originate from Italian (so still a "Romance" language):

in•am•o•ra•to (ĭn-ām'ə-rä'tō) n. pl. in•am•o•ra•tos
A man with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship.

in•am•o•ra•ta (in-am'ə -rä'tə) n. pl. in•am•o•ra•tas
A woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship.

American Heritage Dictionary

I have started to promote it, but so far have had limited distribution. Wadda say—do I have your vote?
Scott