caress n : a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it); "he showered her with caresses"; "soft music was a fond caress"; "the caresses of the breeze played over his face" v : touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner; "He caressed her face"; "They caressed in the back seat of the taxi"

Caress \Ca*ress"\, n. [F. caresse, It. carezza, LL. caritia dearness, fr. L. carus dear. See Charity.] An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. Wooed her with his soft caresses. --Langfellow. He exerted himself to win by indulgence and caresses the hearts of all who were under his command. --Macaulay.

Caress \Ca*ress"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Caressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Caressing.] [F. caresser, fr. It. carezzare, fr. carezza caress. See Caress., n.] To treat with tokens of fondness, affection, or kindness; to touch or speak to in a loving or endearing manner; to fondle. The lady caresses the rough bloodhoun. --Sir W. Scott. Syn: To foundle; embrace; pet; coddle; court; flatter. Usage: Caress, Fondle. ``We caress by words or actions; we fondle by actions only.'' --Crabb.

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Petting is the affectionate act of stroking, brushing or caressing an animal's fur, scratching its ears, rubbing its belly, etc., for mutual enjoyment. Grooming behavior in some animals is similar to petting, but generally the verb "pet" refers to a human petting a nonhuman animal or another human being.

By extension, between humans, petting also refers to affectionate stroking and caressing.

However, in a human context, "petting" often refers to amorous or sexual connotations - situations where a person touches the body of another person during kissing or lovemaking, especially parts which are typically covered by clothing (e.g., the buttocks). When the amorous play advances beyond these parameters, and leads to contact with the genitals, through clothing still, it is sometimes referred to as "heavy petting".

• Meaning: Tender touch.
• Origin: French
• Gender: Female

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