anteros

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀντέρως (antérōs), reputedly coined by Plato. That in turn comes from ἀντί (antí, “against”) + ἔρως (érōs, “love”), hence the translation as counterlove.

Why this word is great

ANTEROS — [Noun] The reciprocal or responsive love given in return to the love of an erastes. From Ancient Greek ἀντέρως (antérōs), from ἀντί (antí, "against, in return") + ἔρως (érōs, "love"), it is the mirrored warmth of devotion, the answer to a question not yet spoken. Unlike "eros" (which burns with singular hunger) or "philia" (which glows with steady, undifferentiated affection), anteros is the quiet exhale after a held breath—the lover’s gaze returned, the student’s gratitude blooming under a mentor’s care, the way a fire, once kindled, turns its heat back upon the hands that fed it. It is the proof that love, when given, does not vanish into silence.

noun

The counterlove or affectionate response a philerast gives to the love of an erastes.“The loved one, in turn, thus subject to the fiery soul of the lover, experiences anteros, a counterlove whose calm consent amounts to very filial affection […]”