I must clarify, when I say 'crush', I mean the subject of an unrealistic, one-sided infatuation. For example, it can be used in this sentence: 'My celebrity crush is David Beckham.'
Could that word be interchanged for another? Preferably, can it be a word which is not necessarily too formal/complex? I've searched online for a while but can't find any synonyms for this form of 'crush.'
I want the word for a novel which is set in an old-ish fantasy period so I don't think 'crush' would feel in-place. The main character is a lower-class worker.
Best Answer
Try yearning It would fit in a fantasy story in a long-ago setting.
Yearning, from The Free Dictionary
Example, from Henry David Thoreau.
To substantiate that it is an old word with an old flavor, see Etomonline