caress means an act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. It carries an Arena rating of 1986, earned across 127 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, caress ranks #36 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #216 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #925 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,813 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
caress is pronounced /kəˈɹɛs/.
Why “caress” is a great word
CARESS — [Noun/Verb] A gentle, loving touch or gesture expressing affection. From French caresse, from Italian carezza ("dearness, endearment"), from Latin cārus ("dear, beloved"), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ("to desire, love"). First recorded in English 1605–15. Unlike “fondle,” which implies casual or playful handling, or “grope,” which suggests a furtive or aggressive search, a caress is an act of deliberate, tender intention. It is the slow stroke of a thumb across a lover’s knuckle, the unconscious brush of a mother’s hand over a child’s hair, the sun’s warmth on closed eyelids—a tactile whisper of sanctuary, translating the abstract fact of love into a momentary, perishable truth.
Etymology
From French caresse, from Italian carezza (“dear”), from Latin cārus (“dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂-, akin to Sanskrit काम (kāma, “love”). Doublet of karezza.
noun
- An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness.e.g.“He exerted himself to win by indulgence and caresses the hearts of all who were under his command.” — 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XVII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longman
- A gentle stroking or rubbing.
verb
- To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.e.g.“She loves being caressed by her boyfriend.”
- To affect as if with a caress.e.g.“The love and anguish in his voice caressed my mind and soul.” — 2012, Mel Berry, Graceful Intentions, page 1:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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