grande passion

English

Etymology

From French grande passion (“great passion”).

Noun

grande passion (plural grandes passions)

1. An overwhelming love affair or infatuation for someone.
   • 1823, Lord Byron, Don Juan, section XII:

     And if in fact she takes to a grande passion, / It is a very serious thing indeed: / Nine times in ten 't is but caprice or fashion, / Coquetry, or a wish to take the lead […].

   • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre:

     He then said that she was the daughter of a French opera dancer, Céline Varens, toward whom he once cherished what he called a "grande passion".

   • 1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Vintage, published 2007, page 45:

     ‘A grande passion is the privilege of people who have nothing to do.’