ămor (old form ămŏs, like honos, labos, colos, etc., Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 2; v. Neue, Formenl. I. p. 170), ōris, m. [amo], love (to friends, parents, etc.; and also in a low sense; hence in gen., like amo, while caritas, like diligere, is esteem, regard, etc.; hence amor is used also of brutes, but caritas only of men; v amo init.): Amicitiae caritate et amore cernuntur. Nam cum deorum, tum parentum, patriaeque cultus, eorumque hominum, qui aut sapientiā aut opibus excellunt, ad caritatem referri solet. Conjuges autem et liberi et fratres et alii, quos usus familiaritasque conjunxit, quamquam etiam caritate ipsā, tamen amore maxime continentur, Cic. Part. Or. 25, 88; cf. id. ib. 16, 56; Doed. Syn. IV. p. 100 (but amor is related to benevolentia as the cause to the effect, since benevolentia designates only an external, friendly treatment; but amor a real, internal love): amor, ex quo amicitia nominata, princeps est ad benevolentiam conjungendam, Cic. Am. 8, 26: nihil enim est, quod studio et benevolentiā, vel amore potius effici non possit, id. Fam. 3, 9; cf. Doed. Syn. IV. p. 105 (very freq. in all periods, and in every kind of style; in a low sense most freq. in the com. and eleg. poets, Petron., and similar authors; v. amo init.); constr. with in, erga, or the obj. gen. (with the gen. of the gerund, never in Cic., and perh. in no prose writer; but it is so found in Lucr., Ovid, and Hor.).
I Lit.: ab his initiis noster in te amor profectus, Cic. Fam. 13, 29: si quid in te residet amoris erga me, id. ib. 5, 5: amori nostro (i. e. quo a te amamur) plusculum etiam, quam concedit veritas, largiare, id. ib. 5, 12; Postquam primus amor deceptam morte fefellit, Verg. A. 4, 17: amabilis super amorem mulierum, Vulg. 2 Reg. 1, 26: in paternitatis amore, brotherly love (Gr. φιλαδελφία), ib. 1 Pet. 1, 22; ib. 2 Pet. 1, 7 bis : amplecti aliquem amore, Cic. Att. 7, 1: habere amorem erga aliquem, id. ib. 9, 14: respondere amori amore, id. ib. 15, 21: conciliare amorem alicui, id. de Or. 2, 51 et saep.—Of sexual love, whether lawful or unlawful: Medea amore saevo saucia, Enn. Med. ap. Auct. ad Her. 2, 22 (as a transl. of the Gr. ἔρωτι θυμὸν ἐκπλαγεῖσʼ Ἰάσονος, Eur. Med. prol. 8): videbantur illi (septem anni) pauci dies prae amoris magnitudine, Vulg. Gen. 29, 20; 29, 30: is amore projecticiam illam deperit, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 43: amore perdita est, id. Mil. 4, 6, 38: in amore haec omnia sunt vitia, Ter. Eun. 59: aeterno devictus volnere amoris, Lucr. 1, 35: qui vitat amorem, id. 4, 1069: Nec te noster amor tenet? Verg. A. 4, 307; 4, 395; Ov. M. 4, 256: ne sit ancillae tibi amor pudori, Hor. C. 2, 4, 1: meretricis amore Sollicitus, id. S. 2, 3, 252: ut majus esset odium amore, quo ante dilexerat, Vulg. 2 Reg. 13, 15: ambo vulnerati amore ejus, ib. Dan. 13, 10 al.—In both significations also in the plur.: amores hominum in te, Cic. Att. 5, 10: amores sancti, id. Fin. 3, 20, 68; cf. id. Tusc. 4, 34, 72: Ille meos, primus qui me sibi junxit, amores Abstulit, Verg. A. 4, 28: est is mihi in amoribus, i. e. valde a me amatur, Cic. Fam. 7, 32: meos amores eloquar, Plaut. Merc. 1, 1, 2: meretricii amores, Ter. And. 913: quem amore venerio dilexerat, Nep. Paus. 4, 1: amores et hae deliciae, quae vocantur, Cic. Cael. 19: quando Dido tantos rumpi non speret amores, Verg. A. 4, 292: Tabuit ex illo dementer amoribus usa, Ov. M. 4, 259: insanos fateamur amores, id. ib. 9, 519 et saep.; Hor. C. 3, 21, 3 et saep.—
II Meton.
A For the beloved object itself : amores et deliciae tuae, Cic. Div. 1, 36; Pompeius, nostri amores, id. Att. 2, 19; 16, 6; and ironic.: sed redeo ad amores deliciasque nostras, L. Antonium, id. Phil. 6, 5; Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 79; Ov. M. 1, 617; 4, 137 al.—
B Personified: Amor, the god of love , Love , Cupid , Ἔρως: O praeclaram emendatricem vitae poëticam, quae Amorem flagitii et levitatis auctorem in concilio deorum collocandum putet, Cic. Tusc. 4, 32, 69: Deum esse Amorem turpis et vitio favens finxit libido, Sen. Phaedr. 195: Illum conjugem, quem Amor dederat, qui plus pollet potiorque est patre, vet. poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 32, 69: Omnia vincit Amor, et nos cedamus Amori, Verg. E. 10, 69: Improbe Amor, quid non mortalia corpora cogis? id. A. 4, 412: Paret Amor dictis carae genetricis, id. ib. 1, 689: Amor non talia curat, id. E. 10, 28: nec quid Amor curat, Ov. M. 1, 480: Amori dare ludum, Hor. C. 3, 12, 1; Prop. 1, 2, 8: non tot sagittis, Spicula quot nostro pectore fixit Amor, id. 3, 4, 2: pharetratus, Ov. Tr. 5, 1, 22: Notaque purpureus tela resumit Amor, id. Am. 2, 9, 34: movit Amor gemmatas aureus alas, id. R. Am. 39 et saep.—Also in the plur., Cupids , Loves : corpora nudorum Amorum, Ov. M. 10, 516: lascivi Amores, Hor. C. 2, 11, 7: parvi Amores, Prop. 3, 1, 11: Amores volucres, Ov. Ep. 16, 203: pharetrati, id. R. Am. 519 al.—
C A strong , passionate longing for something , desire , lust : consulatūs amor, Cic. Sull. 26, 73: gloriae, id. Arch. 11, 28: amicitiae, id. Tusc. 4, 33, 70: lactis, Verg. G. 3, 394: vini, Liv. 9, 18: auri, Verg. A. 1, 349: argenti, Hor. S. 2, 3, 78: nummi, Juv. 14, 138: laudum, Verg. A. 9, 197 et saep.: cognitionis, Cic. Fin. 4, 7, 18.—With gerund : edundi, Lucr. 4, 870: habendi, Ov. M. 1, 131, and Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 85: scribendi, id. S. 2, 1, 10.—Poet., with inf.: si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros, Verg. A. 2, 10: seu rore pudico Castaliae flavos amor est tibi mergere crines, Stat. Th. 1, 698.—*
D Poet., a love-charm , philtre : quaeritur et nascentis equi de fronte revolsus Et matri praereptus amor, Verg. A. 4, 516; upon which passage Serv. remarks: Secundum Plinium, qui dicit in Naturali Historiā (8, 42, 66, § 163 sqq.) pullos equinos habere in fronte quandam carnem, quam eis statim natis adimit mater; quam si quis forte praeripuerit, odit pullum et lac ei denegat; v. hippomanes.