Romantic Nicknames in the Romance Languages
From WikiName
Have you ever wondered what you’d call your sweetheart if you were French? You probably wouldn’t call them “sweetheart” (doux couer) since that would translate as “heart soft.” You could go with the non-literal translation, cheri, but it has a slightly different meaning. From the root cher, meaning expensive, the word cheri means something more like "dearest." Closer to sweetheart would be mon petit chou, or “my little cabbage.” Weird? Have you ever heard someone say sugarpie, honeycakes or pumpkin? Every culture has its own romantic nicknames.
Of course, in the romance languages, there are some basic, prevalent trends. We all use the nickname love for example; as in, my love, or hey love, c’mon luvah. In Italian: amore mio, Spanish: amor mío and in French: mon amour. Love often gets a common adjective, such as dolce amore (sweet love). Nothing particularly surprising about this, love is love, so why not name the one you love, baby love?
The common term baby or babe is considerably more surprising. In Spanish, bebé and in French bébé. In Italian, bambino is the little kind of baby, bimbo is what you’d call your honey.[1] Since when are babies sexy? There’s the sweetness factor. Also the cuteness. And perhaps the reproductive nudge. But isn’t it odd that calling your lover baby isn’t considered odd?
Perhaps it’s because littleness is appealing, giving the lover a sense of protecting and caring for the other. Adding mon petit… to the beginning of a French nickname adds a sense of endearment. In Spanish, the “ito” functions the same way. As in, mi osito (my little bear), an affectionate way to address your darling lovebug in Spanish. Also common in Spanish is the term gordita (little fatty), which is considered very sweet. In English, you would most likely stick with handsome instead. Or perhaps you would spice it up by using the Italian, bellissimo or bella. What’s more romantic than the romance languages?
Well, perhaps, more romantic: nicknames that are completely unique--the ones that spin out of a circumstance and have a personal meaning. This seems more appealing than cliché phrases, like babyface, cuddlecakes or… What do you call your loverboy? Or loverlady? Let us know.
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Author: Clarissa Caldwell
