Meaning
2 senses(often, pejorative)A paramour.
(archaic)One beloved; a lover, a sweetheart of either sex (especially a secret lover; a gallant or mistress).
Origin
From Middle English lemman, variant of leofman, from Old English *lēofmann ("lover; sweethFrom Middle English lemman, variant of leofman, from Old English *lēofmann ("lover; sweetheart"; attested as a personal name), equivalent to lief + man ("beloved person"). In the past, incorrectly asserted to derive from French l'aimant (“the [male] lover”).
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