Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sentimental or humorous greeting card sent to a sweetheart, friend, or family member, for example, on Saint Valentine's Day.
  • noun A gift sent as a token of love to one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day.
  • noun A person singled out especially as one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A sweetheart or choice made On St. Valentine's dav.
  • noun A letter or missive sent by one person to another of the opposite sex on St. Valentine's day; a written or printed or painted missive of an amatory or a satirical kind, generally sent anonymously.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A sweetheart chosen on St. Valentine's Day.
  • noun A letter containing professions of love, or a missive of a sentimental, comic, or burlesque character, sent on St. Valentine's Day.
  • noun a day sacred to St. Valentine; the 14th of February. It was a very old notion, alluded to by Shakespeare, that on this day birds begin to mate. Hence, perhaps, arose the custom of sending love tokens at that time.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An expression of affection, especially romantic affection, usually in the form of greeting card, gift, or message given to a person the object of affection, especially on February 14th.
  • noun A person to whom a valentine is given or received, especially on February 14th.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
  • noun a card sent or given (as to a sweetheart) on Saint Valentine's Day

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Saint Valentine.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Saint Valentine's Day ("day of celebration of romantic love")

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Examples

  • From PaidContent, whose coverage of VC is really leading on the more quant soundbite side: Chicago-based RSS metrics firm FeedBurner gets a valentine from the hometown Sun-Times, which, of course, also has to explain what RSS is given the small numbers of actual subscribers or active internet users who even know about RSS or web feeds.

    Feedburner's a Good Bet Ben Barren 2005

  • From PaidContent, whose coverage of VC is really leading on the more quant soundbite side: Chicago-based RSS metrics firm FeedBurner gets a valentine from the hometown Sun-Times, which, of course, also has to explain what RSS is given the small numbers of actual subscribers or active internet users who even know about RSS or web feeds.

    Archive 2005-09-01 Ben Barren 2005

  • I would say that today my valentine is my mother who's waiting to hear this in La Crosse, Wisconsin, at 89 years old.

    Patricia Barber Plays A Special 'Funny Valentine' 2009

  • However #13 gets my vote as my valentine is a bird lover.

    Vote for your favorite Valentine. 2008

  • Whatever part, much or little, there may have been in Fitzpiers's so-called valentine to his wife, he felt a delight as of the bursting of spring when her brief reply came.

    The Woodlanders Thomas Hardy 1884

  • "I used to love elementary school when like everyone had to give everyone a valentine, which is so ridiculous because there's no way you feel that great about everyone around you in a class," said Wolk with a laugh.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2012

  • She told the Tribune the valentine is the biggest she has ever received.

    Latest News - UPI.com 2010

  • Bride refuses to marry married groom girl in a rural Jajpur village stunned everybody when she refused to marry the groom after she discovered that he was already married and sex with your valentine might be a sin, or it might be a holy act that reflects God's love.

    WN.com - Articles related to YEMEN: Capital city faces 2017 water crunch 2010

  • It was only Ash Wednesday, and Kirby McKenna had already been tempted three sex with your valentine might be a sin, or it might be a holy act that reflects God's love.

    WN.com - Articles related to Study series focuses on what to take up, not give up 'Chocolate for Lent' 2010

  • How will those before Jesus 'advent find salvation? sex with your valentine might be a sin, or it might be a holy act that reflects God's love.

    WN.com - Articles related to Elton John, Lindsay Lohan, pop culture’s affront of Christ continues 2010

Comments

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  • You started out as a pal of mine

    I rashly promoted to valentine,

    The outcome of which

    Is an amorous itch

    That's soothed by no known calamine.

    February 14, 2016