Dictionary

amorette: A type of love knot tied to look like a rosette.

amorous addresses: A term that applies to the first handwritten Valentine messages.

amour: An intimate affair, generally one that is considered illicit.

aphrodisiac: A food, beverage or ingredient that is believed to enhance sensual pleasures, including chocolate and oysters.

Aphrodite: The Greek goddess of sensuality.

bay leaves: These were once thought to produce the vision of a future husband in a young woman's dreams if placed precisely in the middle and at the four corners of her pillow.

Chaucer: Sir Geoffrey may have first made literary allusion to Valentine's Day when he penned "The Parliament of the Fowls," a tale of engagement and the mating season for birds, which was a tribute to the betrothal of England's Richard II and Anne of Bohemia.

chocolate: Once considered an aphrodisiac and available only to the nobility, this sweet treat grew to become a gift symbolizing of love on Valentine's Day.

chrysanthemum: A flower that, in red, represents love.

courtly love: A French movement beginning in the 12th century that focused on courtesies and chivalry toward women outside the bounds of marriage and often referring to a knight's regard for the lady of the castle without hopes or expectations of physical fulfillment.

crocus: Sometimes called "St. Valentine's Flower," as it blooms in mid-February.

Cupid: The capricious, winged and chubby child of Roman mythology and son of Venus who used a bow to shoot arrows into the hearts of his victims, thus causing them to fall madly in love.

diamonds: A popular gift for Valentine's Day, but with newer origins in an attempt to increase sales; however, even early engagement rings, often presented on Feb. 14, were worn on the fourth finger of the left hand as it was believed that a vein on the "ring" finger ran directly to the heart.

dove: The bird most beloved by Venus, the Roman goddess, and a species that is known to mate for life, but also has a claim to Valentine fame for the cooing sounds it makes, which is a term often given to the sounds young lovers make when talking quietly with each other.

Duke of Orleans: An imprisoned Duke Charles, becoming lonely in the Tower of London following the Battle of Agincourt, receives credit for writing the first rhyming Valentine verses in 1415 for his wife, many of which remain on display in the British Museum.