dalliance

Dalliance is a noun in English that denotes a casual or playful involvement, especially a flirtation or trifling romantic dalliance. More broadly, it can describe any brief or non-serious involvement with something, such as a dalliance with a new hobby or technology that does not become a lasting commitment.

The word derives from the verb dallier or dally, meaning to toy, play, or delay, with records dating back to the 15th century. Dalliance entered English to describe light, often romantic, engagements and has sometimes carried connotations of capriciousness or non-seriousness in modern usage.

Common usage contrasts with more earnest involvement; it can be used humorously or critically depending on context. In literature and journalism, dalliance is often used to refer to a temporary flirtation or a tentative, exploratory engagement with an idea or project.

In bioinformatics and web technology, Dalliance is also the name of a lightweight, browser-based genome browser. Designed to run directly in web browsers without heavy setup, it enables interactive exploration of genomic data using standard formats and tracks.