Lothario

Lothario

Lothario is a character in the play "The Fair Penitent" (1703), by Nicholas Rowe. In the play, Lothario seduces and betrays Calista. The word "lothario" has thus entered the English language as an eponym: a "lothario" is a handsome, seductive ladies' man.

In "The Impertinent Curiosity", a story-within-the-story in "Don Quixote" (c. 1605), by Miguel de Cervantes, a man named Anselmo coerces Lothario, his faithful friend, to test the virtue of his wife, Camila. Though Lothario sincerely attempts dissuading Anselmo from testing his wife's fidelity, the friend insists, and Lothario eventually falls in love with Camila.

"Lo" (short for "Lothario") was also the nickname of Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead of the Confederate States of America. (It was applied ironically; Armistead was far from a ladies' man.)

ee also

* Casanova
* Don Juan


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  • Lothario — Lo*tha ri*o, n. [Name of a character in Rowe s drama, The Fair Penitent. ] A gay seducer of women; a libertine. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lothario — masc. proper name, Italian form of O.H.G. Hlothari, Hludher (whence Ger. Luther, Fr. Lothaire), lit. famous warrior, from O.H.G. lut (see LOUD (Cf. loud)) + heri host, army (see HARRY (Cf. harry) (v.)). As a characteristic name for a lady killer …   Etymology dictionary

  • lothario — [n] womanizer Casanova, Don Juan, gigolo, ladies’ man, lady killer, lecher, libertine, lover, philanderer, rake, Romeo, seducer, skirt chaser, stud*, wolf*; concepts 372,401 …   New thesaurus

  • Lothario — ► NOUN (pl. Lotharios) ▪ a womanizer. ORIGIN from a character in Nicholas Rowe s tragedy The Fair Penitent (1703) …   English terms dictionary

  • Lothario — [lō ther′ē ō΄, lōthär′ē ō] n. pl. Lotharios [name of young rake in Nicholas Rowe s play The Fair Penitent (1703)] [often l ] a seducer of women; rake …   English World dictionary

  • Lothario — UK [ləʊˈθɑːrɪəʊ] / US [loʊˈθerɪoʊ] noun [countable] Word forms Lothario : singular Lothario plural Lotharios showing disapproval a man who has sexual relationships with many different women …   English dictionary

  • lothario — noun (plural ios) Usage: often capitalized Etymology: Lothario, seducer in the play The Fair Penitent (1703) by Nicholas Rowe Date: 1756 a man whose chief interest is seducing women …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Lothario — (Roget s Thesaurus II) also lothario noun 1. A man amorously attentive to women: amorist, Casanova, Don Juan, gallant, lady s man, Romeo. See SEX. 2. A man who seduces women: debaucher, seducer. See SEX …   English dictionary for students

  • Lothario —    a male who constantly makes sexual proposals to women    He was a character in a play of 1703, The Fair Penitent, by Rowe:     He pointed out the office lothario and the office seductress. (Sanders, 1981) …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • Lothario — /loh thair ee oh /, n., pl. Lotharios. (sometimes l.c.) a man who obsessively seduces and deceives women. [after the young seducer in Nicholas Rowe s play The Fair Penitent (1703)] Syn. Don Juan, Romeo, Casanova. * * * …   Universalium

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