 Relationships (Outline) |
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A boyfriend is a man who is a friend or acquaintance to the speaker, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is platonically, romantically or sexually 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 a significant other or partner, [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 word dating entered American English during the Roaring Twenties. Prior to that, courtship was a matter of family and community interest. Starting around the time of the American Civil War, courtship became a private matter for couples. [5] In the early- to mid-19th century United States, women often had "gentleman callers", single men who would visit the home of a young woman with the hopes of beginning a courtship. [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 in Neil Bartlett's Who Was That Man? A Present for Mr Oscar Wilde. On pages 108–110, Bartlett quotes from an issue of The Artist and Journal of Home Culture , which refers to Alectryon as "a boyfriend of Mars".
