FromMiddle English love luve Old English lufu Proto-West Germanic *lubu Proto-Germanic *lubō Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ( “ love, care, desire ” ) .
Theclose of a letter sense is presumably a truncation ofWith love or the like.
The verb is fromMiddle English loven luvien Old English lufian ( “ to love ” ) , fromProto-West Germanic *lubōn ( “ to love ” ) , derived from the noun.
Eclipsed non-nativeEnglish amour ( “ love ” ) , borrowed fromNorman amour ( “ love ” ) .
Cognates
Cognate withScots luve ( “ love ” ) ,Saterland Frisian ljo ljoo ljoof ( “ dear, sweet ” ) ,Ljoote Ljoowe ( “ love ” ) ,West Frisian leaf ( “ friendly, kind, cordial ” ) ,leafde ( “ love ” ) ,Dutch lief ( “ lovely, nice, sweet ” ) ,liefde ( “ love ” ) ,German lieb ( “ dear; lovable ” ) ,Liebe ( “ love ” ) ,German Low German Leevde Lieve ( “ love ” ) ,Luxembourgish léif ( “ lovely, kind, nice, sweet ” ) ,Léift ( “ love ” ) ,Vilamovian łiwa ( “ love ” ) ,Yiddish ליב ( lib ,“ nice; kind ” ) ,Icelandic ljúfur ( “ beloved, dear ” ) ,Norwegian Nynorsk Swedish ljuv ( “ lovely, sweet ” ) ,Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 ( liufs ,“ beloved, dear ” ) ,Albanian lyp ( “ to beg ” ) ,Russian любовь ( ljubovʹ ,“ love ” ) ,Lithuanian liaupsė ( “ praise ” ) ,Latin libido ( “ desire, lust ” ) ,Polish lubić ( “ to like ” ) ,Persian آلفتن ( âloftan ,“ to enamor ” ) ,Sanskrit लोभ ( lobha ,“ desire, greed ” ) .
Romeo and Juliet in love love (countable anduncountable plural loves
( uncountable ) deep caring for theexistence of another.( uncountable ) Strong affection .Antonyms: hate hatred angst indifference Aprofound and caringaffection towards someone.A mother’slove is not easily shaken.
My husband’slove is the most important thing in my life.
Mylove for Melca is eternal.
1674 John Milton ,Paradise Lost He on his side / Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordiallove / Hung over her enamoured.
2014 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Mystical Perspectives on theLove of God ,→ISBN Affectionate ,benevolent concern orcare for otherpeople orbeings , and for theirwell-being .1864 ,Utilitarianism Explained and Exemplified in Moral and Political Government :Thelove of your neighbor as yourself, is expressly given as the definition and test of Charity,—not alms-giving—and thislove is [...] the highest of all the Divine commands[.] 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. , “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart”, inStrength to Love [1] New York :Pocket Books , published1964 ,→OCLC page 7 :Through nonviolent resistance we shall be able to oppose the unjust system and at the same timelove the perpetrators of the system. We must work passionately and unrelentingly for full stature as citizens, but may it never be said, my friends, that to gain it we used the inferior methods of falsehood, malice, hate, and violence.
Afeeling ofintense attraction towards someone.I have never been inlove as much as I have with you.
1697 [William] Congreve ,The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. [ … ] [ … ] Jacob Tonson , [ … ] →OCLC page39 :Heav'n has no Rage, likeLove to Hatred turn'd, / Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman ſcorn'd.
1897 December (indicated as1898 ),Winston Churchill , chapter VIII, inThe Celebrity: An Episode The Macmillan Company ; London:Macmillan & Co., Ltd. ,→OCLC The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered herlove for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.
A deep orabiding liking for something; anenthusiasm for something.Mylove of cricket knows no bounds.
2012 The Coming Prosperity ,→ISBN For three decades, the average number of miles driven by US motorists increased steadily. Then, in 2007, that steady climb was suddenly halted. [...] What magic caused Americans to temper their longstandinglove of the open road?
( countable ) romantic feelings; adarling , asweetheart , abeloved .Synonyms: baby darling honey lover pet sweetheart see also Thesaurus:sweetheart c. 1596–1598 William Shakespeare , “The Merchant of Venice ”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , andEd[ ward] Blount , published1623 ,→OCLC [ Act III, scene ii] :Olove , dispatch all business, and be gone!
1886 October –1887 January,H[enry] Rider Haggard ,She: A History of Adventure Longmans, Green, and Co. , published1887 ,→OCLC 'Oh, mylove , mylove !' she murmured, 'wilt thou ever know how I have loved thee?' and she kissed him on the forehead, and then went and stood in the pathway of the flame of Life.
1969 Dirty Old Town :I met mylove by the gasworks wall.
( colloquial , Commonwealth ) A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings. Synonyms: mate darling lovey sweetie sweetheart Hellolove , how can I help you?
A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking orenthusiasm .1997 Ebony , volume52 , number 5, page96 :But it wasn't until [Theresa M. Claiborne] went to ROTC training camp at the University of California at Berkeley that she discovered that flying was her firstlove . "Pilots talk about getting bit by the flying bug," she says. "I thought, This is heaven."
( euphemistic ) Sexual desire ;attachment based on sexualattraction .Synonyms: aphrodisia carnality see also Thesaurus:lust 2013 Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods , Routledge,→ISBN The prospect that their cherished Greeks would have countenanced, much less honored, alove between men that expressed itself carnally, however, was not so easily assimilated.
( euphemistic ) Synonyms: lovemaking sex see also Thesaurus:copulation An instance or episode of beingin love ; alove affair .Synonym: romance 2014 Then Came Absolution ,→ISBN Maybe it was just a summerlove , something with no future.
Used as theclosing , before thesignature , of aletter , especially between good friends or family members, or by the young. Alternativeletter-case form ofLove ( “ personification of love ” ) .( obsolete ) silk material .1664 Robert Boyle ,Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours, [ ] :Such a kind of transparency, as that of a Sive, a piece of Cyprus, or aLove -Hood.
Aclimbing plant ,Clematis vitalba love (third-person singular simple present loves present participle loving simple past and past participle loved
( usually transitive , sometimes intransitive , stative ) affection for (someone or something).1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs , “The Land That Time Forgot ”, inThe Blue Book Magazine →OCLC Hugo Gernsback , editor,Amazing Stories (please specify |part=I to III) , New York, N.Y.:Experimenter Publishing ,1927 ,→OCLC wanted to take her in my arms and tell her how Iloved her, and had taken her hand from the rail and started to draw her toward me when Olson came blundering up on deck with his bedding.
2013 February 26,Pink ,Nate Ruess ,Just Give Me a Reason Just give me a reason, / just a little bit's enough, / just a second we're not broken, just bent / and we can learn tolove again.
( transitive ) thrive on.Moldloves moist, dark places.
( transitive ) like Ilove walking barefoot on wet grass; I'dlove to join the team; Ilove what you've done with your hair
1920 Agatha Christie ,The Mysterious Affair at Styles 1954 , page141 :“Everywhere he went, I went with him. When I was twenty-three, I had been nearly all over the world. It was a splendid life—Iloved it.”
( usually transitive , sometimes intransitive ) care deeply about, to bededicated to (someone or something).1611 The Holy Bible, [ … ] King James Version ), London: [ … ] Robert Barker , [ … ] →OCLC Matthew 22:37–39 Iesus sayd vnto him, Thou shaltloue the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soule, and with all thy minde. This is the first and great Commandement. And the second is like vnto it, Thou shaltloue thy neighbour as thy selfe.
( transitive , sometimes ironic ) delight from a fact or situation.Ilove the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.
( Internet ) Synonym ofheart ( verb ) .Coordinate terms: like unlike Sheloved my photos of the kids playing with the dogs.
( transitive , euphemistic ) have sex with (perhaps frommake love I wish I couldlove her all night long.
Terms derived from the noun or verblove
Now widely believed (due to historical written record) to be from the idea that when one does a thing “for love” it is for no monetary gain, the word “love” thus implying "nothing".
The former assumption that it had originated from Frenchl’œuf ( literally“ the egg ” ) , due to its shape, has largely been discredited and is no longer widely accepted. However, the apparent similarity of the shape of an egg to a zero has inspired similar analogies, such as the use ofduck goose egg
love (uncountable
( racquet sports, billiards ) Zero , no score.So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova.
2013 Paul McNamee ,Game Changer: My Tennis Life :The next dayAgassi came back from two sets tolove down to beat Courier in five sets. Nothing; no recompense.1916 The Ivory Child :I fought the white man for less than sixpence. I fought him forlove , which is nothing at all.
love (third-person singular simple present loves present participle loving simple past and past participle loved
Alternative form oflofe ( “ to praise, sell ” ) .“love ”, inOneLook Dictionary Search . love inKeywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary , edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018. William Dwight Whitney ,Benjamin E[li] Smith , editors (1911 ), “love ”, inThe Century Dictionary [ … ] The Century Co. ,→OCLC Borrowed fromRomani love
love f pl indeclinable
( slang , cant ) money Synonym: prachy See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
love m
vocative singular oflov “love ”, inKartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech) IPA (key ) : /ˈlɔːvə/ ,[ˈlɔːʋə] ,[ˈlɔːʊ] FromMiddle Low German lōve Proto-Germanic *galaubô German Glaube
love c
( obsolete ) trust ,faith only in the phrasepå tro og love ( “ solemnly ” ) FromOld Danish lowæ Old Norse lofa Proto-Germanic *lubōną Swedish lova ( “ to promise; to praise ” ) ,German loben ( “ to praise ” ) ,geloben ( “ to vow ” ) ,Dutch loven ( “ to praise ” ) .
love (past tense lovede past participle lovet
topromise ( solemn ) praise FromOld Danish louæ Old Norse lófi Proto-Germanic *lōfô
love c singular definite loven plural indefinite love
( obsolete , rare ) palm of thehand Synonym: håndflade See See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.
love c
indefinite plural oflov love
( dated or formal ) singular present subjunctive ofloven love
inflection oflover first-person / third-person singular present indicative / subjunctive second-person singular imperative FromLatin lupa lupus Venetan lova French louve
This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with theIPA then please add some!
love f plural lovis
she-wolf Inherited fromMiddle High German loben Old High German lobōn Proto-West Germanic *lobōn Proto-Germanic *lubōną [ 1]
Cognate withGerman loben Luxembourgish luewen
love
( transitive ) praise [with accusative Sie hon en fielgelobd . Theypraised him a lot. The present participle is uncommonly used,-end .
FromProto-Samic *lokē
love
ten This numeral needs aninflection-table template .
love inMarja-Liisa Olthuis, Taarna Valtonen, Miina Seurujärvi and Trond Trosterud (2015–2022 ),Nettidigisäänih Anarâškiela-suomakielâ-anarâškielâ sänikirje [2] Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008 ),Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages [3] lōve
dative singular oflof Inherited fromOld English lufu Proto-West Germanic *lubu Proto-Germanic *lubō
IPA (key ) : /ˈluv(ə)/ ,/ˈloːv(ə)/ love plural loves
Love strong anddeep affection :c. 1378-9 William Langland ], “Paſſus xȷ᷒ ”, inLıber de petro plowman London , publishedc. 1395 ,folio 46, verso ; republished as Hoyt N. Duggan,Ralph Hanna , editors,Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Laud misc. 581 (The Piers Plowman Electronic Archive; 6), SEENET,2014 ,→ISBN FFoꝛ þı lerne we þe lawe ofloue · as owre loꝛde tauȝte / And as seynte Gregoꝛy seıde: foꝛ mannes soule helthe[ …] So we learn the law oflove , like our Lord taught / and like Saint Gregory said, for the health of people's souls [ …] Sexual orromantic desire ( inhumans and otheranimals ) Theosis ,sanctification , orlove attain it.One who onelove loved individual :Alover ; asexual orromantic partner . Apersonification orembodiment oflove ( Christianity ) Holy Spirit ( or less often,God generally ) . Apeace treaty ; the ending ofhostilities . ( rare ) Permission ,consent .Inherited fromOld English lāfe lāf Proto-West Germanic *laibu Proto-Germanic *laibō leven ( “ to halt ” ) , which some forms are influenced by.
love uncountable
Theremainder orrest ; that which isleft .c. 1375 Iohne Barbour ,De geſtis bellis et uirtutibus domini Roberti de Brwyß [ ] (The Brus [4] Ouchtirmunsye : Iohannes Ramsay, published1489 ,folio 21, recto , lines431-434 ; republished at Edinburgh:National Library of Scotland ,c. 2010 :Thyꝛwall þ[at] was þ[air] capitain / Wes þ[air] in þe baꝛgain slain / ⁊ off his men þe maſt p[ar]ty / Ϸelaue fled full affrayitly Thirlwall, who was their commander / was killed there in the struggle / with the greatest part of his men; / therest fled very frightened. ( rare ) widow ; awoman whosehusband hasdied .Synonyms: relicte widwe Borrowed fromOld Norse lófi Proto-Germanic *lōfô glove
love plural loves
( chiefly Northern ) palm of thehand love
alternative form ofloven ( “ to love ” ) love
alternative form ofloven ( “ to praise ” ) FromOld Norse lofa
love (imperative lov present tense lover simple past and past participle lova or lovet present participle lovende
topraise love (imperative lov present tense lover simple past lova or lovet or lovte or lovde past participle lova or lovet or lovt or lovd present participle lovende
topromise (as an adjective )detlovede land - the Promised Land “love” inThe Bokmål Dictionary .love (present tense lovar or lover past tense lova or lovde past participle lova or lovt or lovd present participle lovande imperative lov
alternative form oflova love m definite singular loven indefinite plural lovar definite plural lovane
alternative form oflóve love
plural oflovo money love (Cyrillic spelling лове
vocative singular oflov love (Cyrillic spelling лове
third-person plural present ofloviti love c
( chiefly in compounds ) wrist (connecting the hand to the forearm)Borrowed fromDutch loven
love
topromise toask for aprice “love ” at Frysker “love ”, inWurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch),2011 
