'romance' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'romanz/romans', from Medieval Latin 'romanicē', where 'Roman-' meant 'Roman' and '-icē' meant 'in the manner; in the vernacular'.

'romanicē' changed into Old French 'romanz/romans' (a narrative written in the vernacular) and passed through Middle English 'romance', eventually becoming the modern English word 'romance'.

Initially, it meant 'the vernacular (non-Latin) language' and then 'a narrative written in that language (especially tales of chivalry)', but over time it evolved into its current senses of 'love story, love affair, idealized love'.