 Relationships (Outline) |
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Aboyfriend is a man who is afriend oracquaintance to the speaker, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person isplatonically,romantically orsexually involved.[1]
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart.[2] The analogous term for women is "girlfriend", and analogous terms that are gender-neutral include "partner" for sexual relationships, or "friend" for friendships.
Partners in committed non-marital relationships are also sometimes described as asignificant other orpartner,[3] especially if the individuals are cohabiting.
A 2005 study of 115 people ages 21 to 35 who were either living with or had lived with a romantic partner notes that the lack of proper terms often leads to awkward situations, such as someone upset over not being introduced in social situations to avoid the question.[4]
The worddating enteredAmerican English during theRoaring Twenties. Prior to that,courtship was a matter of family and community interest. Starting around the time of theAmerican Civil War, courtship became a private matter for couples.[5] In the early- to mid-19th centuryUnited States, women often had "gentleman callers", single men who would visit the home of a young woman with the hopes of beginning acourtship.[6] The era of the gentleman caller ended in the early 20th century and the modern idea of dating developed.[5]
In literature, the term is discussed in July 1988 inNeil Bartlett'sWho Was That Man? A Present for Mr Oscar Wilde. On pages 108–110, Bartlett quotes from an issue ofThe Artist and Journal of Home Culture, which refers toAlectryon as "a boyfriend ofMars".
