The word amour itself dates back to the 14th century, but there are examples of related words going back as far as 892 AD. In Romance of the Rose, the poet writes,
"For not icladde in silke was he, But all in flouris and flourettes, I-paintid all with amorettes."
Amorettes are love-knots or love personified.
In Spenser's Faerie Queen, book iii, Amoret, a virgin with nearly goddess-like qualities, is brought up by Venus in the courts of love. She becomes the wife of Sir Scudamore. Unfortunately, she is found in the arms of a monster, Corflambo. Timias combats the monster but, in doing so, wounds Amoret.
Philippe I of France (1061--1108) was called "The Amourous" due to his love affair with Bertrade. Philippe divorced his wife, Berthe, to marry Bertrade, who was married to Foulques, count of Anjou.
Other words that have come to us from this same root word include inamorata (a woman with whom one is in love or has intimate relations), amative (disposed or disposing to love), and amorist (a devotee of love and especially sexual love), along with their various forms and functions.
Sources: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, WWWebsterDictionary, Wordsmith
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