dal·li·ance \ˈdalēən(t)s, -lyə-\noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English dalyaunce, from dalyen to dally + -aunce -ance 1.: play, sportiveness; especially: amorous play (as flirting or caressing) < amatory dalliance — R.H.Lowie > 2.: frivolous action : trifling < this short dalliance with revolutionary ideas — John Mason Brown >