Definify.com
Definition 2024
carry_a_torch_for
carry a torch for
English
Verb
carry a torch for (third-person singular simple present carries a torch for, present participle carrying a torch for, simple past and past participle carried a torch for)
- (idiomatic) To love or to be romantically infatuated with, especially when such feelings are not reciprocated.
- 1955, "Books: Mixed Fiction" (review of The Twelve Pictures by Edith Simon), Time, 6 June:
- Brunhilde, a kind of earth-mother goddess, carries a torch for her lost love.
- 2006, Jeannette Walls, "Are Simpson and Lachey still in love?," msnbc.com, 20 April:
- Lachey, for his part, seems to still carry a torch for his estranged wife.
- 1955, "Books: Mixed Fiction" (review of The Twelve Pictures by Edith Simon), Time, 6 June:
Usage notes
- Often used to characterize a situation in which a romantic relationship has ended, but where one partner still loves the other.
- Considered by some to be dated,[2] but still in wide usage.
Related terms
See also
References
Etymology
carry a torch may derive from the Greek wedding torch tradition
From the metaphor of a burning flame, to keep a fire burning.
The association of a torch with love may date to the Greek and Roman tradition of a wedding torch,[1] lit in the bride’s hearth on her wedding night, then used to light the hearth in her new home. Such a torch is associated with the Greek god of marriage Hymenaios.