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Added 9 October 2026

philander

/fɪˈlændə/ verb

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about philander at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Have amorous affairs; of men.
He has been womanizing for years
Talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions.
The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries

Origin

As a verb, first seen in the 1824 play Philandering: Or, The Rose Queen, by Samuel Beazley. From the given name Philander, used for love interest or suitor stock characters in several 18th century stories and poems, from Ancient Greek Φίλανδρος (Phílandros), name of the mythological son of the nymph Acacallis and the god Apollo. Semantically disconnected from the adjective φίλανδρος (phílandros, “loving one’s husband; excessively attracted to males, slutty, boy crazy”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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