Girlfriend

For other uses, see Girlfriend (disambiguation).

Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-intimate friend.Lowe, Janet; Beverly Guy-Sheftall (2001). Oprah Winfrey Speaks: Insights from the World\'s Most Influential Voice. John Wiley and Sons, ISBN 0471399949. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.

A man with a girlfriend.

Scope

Chen Yu-Rong (left) and her romantic girlfriend Wang Ping (see lesbian) in front of Image Museum of Hsinchu Culture Bureau ("新竹市文化局影像博物館").

Girls who are friends, not of a romantic nature.

The term is most commonly used to describe any female person who is in a romantic relationship with another person.

Partners in such a non-marital relationship are also sometimes described instead as a significant other, partner or life partner especially if the two partners are living together. At times, since "girlfriend" and "partner" mean different things to different people, the distinctions between the terms are subjective, and which term is used in a relationship will ultimately be determined by personal preference.

When used by a girl or woman about another female in a non-sexual, non-romantic context, the two-word form "girl friend" is sometimes used to avoid confusion with the sexual or romantic meaning. "Girlfriend" is usually used in terms of very close friends and usually has no sexual connotation in that sense of its usage, but it can, in the case of lesbian and bisexual women. The term also has currency in LGBT communities and can refer to people of any gender or sexuality.Byrd, Rudolph P.; Beverly Guy-Sheftall (2001). Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality. Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253214483. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.Salamensky, Shelley I.; Beverly Guy-Sheftall (2001). Talk Talk Talk: The Cultural Life of Everyday Conversation. Routledge, ISBN 0415921708. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.

Though nuanced, there is a significant difference between "girlfriend" and "boyfriend", and "girl friend" and "boy friend". In a strictly grammatical sense, a "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" is an individual of significance with whom one shares a relationship. A "girl friend" or "boy friend", however, is simply a friend identified on the basis of gender. The transition between the two is a significant aspect of adolescent development.RL Grover, DW Nangle, A Serwik, KR Zeff (2007). "Girl friend, boy friend, girlfriend, boyfriend: Broadening our understanding of heterosocial competence". Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 36, No. 4. 

This term when used between men and women does not necessarily imply a sexual relationship, but is often used to refer to a woman who is dating a man she was not engaged to, without implying that she is having sex with him. With the changes in sexual mores among some people, the term dating when used to indicate that an adult man and woman have gone out together on a date, can imply sexual activity whereas simply using "friend" would likely avoid inferring such intimacy.

It is essentially equivalent to a prior term used, "sweetheart" which is also a term of endearment.

Synonyms

• A female engaged in an extramarital relationship with a married person is frequently considered a "mistress".
• Some terms of endearment directed to females, a romantic relationship is not required, are "darling", "sweetheart", "lover", "babe" etc.
• Users of Internet slang and SMS slang often shorten girlfriend to the acronym gf.What does gf stand for?, AcronymFinder.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
• Additionally, gender-indiscriminate terms also apply, e.g. lover, heartthrob, paramour, squeeze, sweetheart, true love and some more specific terms such as princess, wooer, and gender-neutral ones like date, escort, steady or suitor; furthermore, non-gender specific euphemisms such as admirer, companion.

See also

Look up girlfriend in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Girlfriend

• Boyfriend
• Lesbian
• Courtship
• Domestic partnership
• Life partner
• Significant other
• Terms of endearment

References

Further reading

• Sociocultural Perspectives on Language Change in Diaspora David R. Andrews (1998); John Benjamins Publishing Company, ISBN 9027218358.
• The Handbook of Language and Gender By Janet Holmes, Miriam Meyerhoff (2003); Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 0631225021.
• In Your Face: Stories from the Lives of Queer Youth Mary L. Gray (1999); Haworth Press, ISBN 0789000768.
• Defining Language: A Local Grammar of Definition Sentences Geoff Barnbrook (2002); John Benjamins Publishing Company, ISBN 1588112985.
• How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms R. W. Holder (2002); Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198604025.

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