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A
An involuntary state of intense romantic attraction characterised by intrusive thoughts about the desired person and a desperate need for reciprocation.
— Psychology reference
B
Coined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov in her 1979 book Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love.
— Tennov, 1979
C
Tennov interviewed over five hundred people and found that limerence was distinctly different from love — defined specifically by the obsessive uncertainty of not knowing whether feelings were returned.
— Love and Limerence
D
Limerence typically includes physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, flushing, and an inability to concentrate on tasks unrelated to the limerent object.
— Tennov, 1979
E
The word was deliberately constructed without a recognisable etymology so that it would carry no cultural baggage — Tennov chose it specifically because it sounded scientific but meant nothing.
— Tennov, author's note