flirtation
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Flirtation and flirting are closely related, but flirting refers to the specific actions or remarks a person makes, while flirtation can also describe the entire situation or period in which such behaviour occurs. Courtship is much more serious — it implies a deliberate effort to win someone's affection with the goal of a relationship, which flirtation explicitly lacks. Coquetry is a more literary and old-fashioned term that emphasises playful, teasing behaviour often meant to attract admiration without any real interest. In everyday conversation, flirting is the most natural choice for the action itself; flirtation works better when describing the overall dynamic: 'Their office flirtation never became a real relationship.'
Common collocations
Etymology
Flirtation comes from the verb flirt, which appeared in English in the 1500s. The origin of flirt is uncertain — one theory links it to the Old French word fleureter ('to talk sweetly, to court'), which itself comes from fleur ('flower'), evoking the image of moving lightly from flower to flower like a butterfly. By the 1700s, flirt was established in its modern romantic sense, and flirtation emerged around the same time as the noun form. The extended meaning of casual, non-serious involvement with an activity or idea developed in the 1800s.