caress C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception US /kəˈrɛs/ UK /kəˈrɛs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to touch or stroke gently and lovingly He caressed the child's hair until she fell asleep. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to touch or stroke gently... strokefondlepetcuddleembracenuzzletouch Word family Forms caressingly Derived forms caressercaressing Etymology AI details From French caresse, from Italian carezza ('endearment'), from caro ('dear'), from Latin cārus ('dear, beloved'). carezza Italian cārus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # caress **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /kəˈrɛs/ **IPA (UK):** /kəˈrɛs/ ## Meanings 1. to touch or stroke gently and lovingly ## Examples - He caressed the child's hair until she fell asleep. ## Synonyms - stroke - fondle - pet - cuddle - embrace - nuzzle - touch ## Derived Forms - caresser - caressing ## Roots and Affixes - Root: carezza - Root: cārus ## Etymology From French caresse, from Italian carezza ('endearment'), from caro ('dear'), from Latin cārus ('dear, beloved'). ## AI Etymology Caress is a verb and noun meaning "to touch or stroke gently and lovingly". Historically, it is from French caresse, from Italian carezza ('endearment'), from caro ('dear'), from Latin cārus ('dear, beloved'). The historical chain links Italian carezza with Latin cārus. Close English family members include caresser, and caressing. This keeps the modern verb and noun sense tied to the older forms and language sequence behind it. ## Topics - Senses & Perception - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown