1. (n.) A species of fictitious writing, originally composed in meter in the Romance dialects, and afterward in prose, such as the tales of the court of Arthur, and of Amadis of Gaul; hence, any fictitious and wonderful tale; a sort of novel, especially one which treats of surprising adventures usually befalling a hero or a heroine; a tale of extravagant adventures, of love, and the like.

2. (n.) An adventure, or series of extraordinary events, resembling those narrated in romances; as, his courtship, or his life, was a romance.

3. (n.) A dreamy, imaginative habit of mind; a disposition to ignore what is real; as, a girl full of romance.

4. (n.) The languages, or rather the several dialects, which were originally forms of popular or vulgar Latin, and have now developed into Italian. Spanish, French, etc. (called the Romanic languages).

5. (n.) A short lyric tale set to music; a song or short instrumental piece in ballad style; a romanza.

6. (a.) of or pertaining to the language or dialects known as Romance.

7. (v. i.) To write or tell romances; to indulge in extravagant stories.

Marchen Western Western story Westerner adulterous affair adultery adventure adventure story affair allegorize allegory amor amour apologue apparition autism autistic thinking balderdash bedtime story brainchild brown-nose bubble butter up canard capriccio caprice chimera color colorfulness concoction court cuckoldry dalliance delirium dereism dereistic thinking detective story divertissement dreamery eidolon entanglement epic eternal triangle exaggeration excitement extravaganza fable fabliau fabrication fabulize fairy tale fancy fantasia fantasque fantasy fascination fib fiction fictionalize figment flatter flight of fancy flirtation folk story folktale forbidden love forgery gest ghost story glamor hallucination hanky-panky horse opera humoresque ideal idealism ideality idealization idealize idle fancy idyll illicit love illusion imagery imagination imaginative exercise imaginativeness imagining impracticality infidelity insubstantial image intrigue invention legend liaison love love affair love story maggot make-believe medley melodrama mystery mystery story myth mythicize mythify mythologize mythology mythos narrate narrative nonsense nostalgia novel novelize nursery tale pander to parable phantasm phantom play of fancy potpourri prevarication quixotism quixotize quixotry recite recount rehearse relate relationship report retell rhapsodize romantic tie romanticism romanticize romanza science fiction sentiment shocker sick fancy soft-soap space fiction space opera storify story suspense story tall story tall tale tell tell a story thick-coming fancies thriller triangle trip unfaithfulness unfold a tale unpracticalness unrealism unreality utopianism utopianize vapor vision visionariness whim whimsy white lie whodunit wildest dreams wish fulfillment wish-fulfillment fantasy wishful thinking woo work of fiction