cicisbeo

Definition

A man who escorts a married woman to social functions, especially in 18th-century Italy; a married woman's lover.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian cicisbeo, of onomatopoeic origin.

Example Sentences

• "My old Cicisbee says it would do: & he is (or was poor fellow!) a famous Scholar."
• "The office of Cicisbeo is however an intolerably expensive one; especially to our countrymen."
• "Of course a cicisbeo is a normal enough figure in Alexandrian life, but things are going to become socially very boring for you if you go out with those two so much."