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Love

//lʌv// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable, uncountable

    "Elisheva Baskin and Michael Stein are to be married Sunday evening at the Palisadium, an event space in Cliffside Park, N.J. Rabbi Yaacov Love is to officiate."

  2. 2
    The ship of characters Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars from the television show Veronica Mars. slang

    "The complicated and, for fans, mostly frustrating relationship between these characters is the reason why stories dealing with Spuffy and LoVe pairings are by far more popular than stories based on any other possible ship."

  3. 3
    A male given name. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    A female given name. countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    Cupid, Eros, or another personification of love. countable, uncountable

    "To Hymen's bower young Cupid came, And each with each was quite delighted; Love shot his dart of surest aim, And Hymen's brightest torch was lighted."

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  1. 6
    An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A deep caring for the existence of another. uncountable
  2. 2
    Zero, no score. uncountable

    "So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova."

  3. 3
    radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter L.
  4. 4
    sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people wordnet
  5. 5
    Strong affection.; A profound and caring affection towards someone. countable, uncountable

    "A mother’s love is not easily shaken."

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  1. 6
    Nothing; no recompense. uncountable

    "I fought the white man for less than sixpence. I fought him for love, which is nothing at all."

  2. 7
    any object of warm affection or devotion wordnet
  3. 8
    Strong affection.; Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for their well-being. countable, uncountable

    "The love of your neighbor as yourself, is expressly given as the definition and test of Charity,—not alms-giving—and this love is … the highest of all the Divine commands[.]"

  4. 9
    a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction wordnet
  5. 10
    Strong affection.; A feeling of intense attraction towards someone. countable, uncountable

    "I have never been in love as much as I have with you."

  6. 11
    a strong positive emotion of regard and affection wordnet
  7. 12
    Strong affection.; A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something. countable, uncountable

    "My love of cricket knows no bounds."

  8. 13
    a beloved person; used as terms of endearment wordnet
  9. 14
    A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved. countable

    "Open the temple gates unto my love."

  10. 15
    a score of zero in tennis or squash wordnet
  11. 16
    A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings. Commonwealth, colloquial, countable, uncountable

    "Hello love, how can I help you?"

  12. 17
    A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm. countable, uncountable

    "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 first love. "Pilots talk about getting bit by the flying bug," she says. "I thought, This is heaven.""

  13. 18
    Sexual desire; attachment based on sexual attraction. countable, euphemistic, uncountable

    "The prospect that their cherished Greeks would have countenanced, much less honored, a love between men that expressed itself carnally, however, was not so easily assimilated."

  14. 19
    Sexual activity. countable, euphemistic, uncountable

    "—What think you, my lord, of... love? —You mean ‘rumpy-pumpy’."

  15. 20
    An instance or episode of being in love; a love affair. countable, uncountable

    "Maybe it was just a summer love, something with no future."

  16. 21
    Used as the closing, before the signature, of a letter, especially between good friends or family members, or by the young. countable, uncountable
  17. 22
    Alternative letter-case form of Love (“personification of love”). alt-of, countable, uncountable

    "At busy hearts in vain love's arrows fly; …"

  18. 23
    A thin silk material. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "Such a kind of transparency, as that of a Sive, a piece of Cyprus, or a Love-Hood."

  19. 24
    A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba. countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To have a strong affection for (someone or something). intransitive, sometimes, stative, transitive, usually

    "I love my spouse. I love you! I love that song!"

  2. 2
    Alternative form of lofe (“to praise, sell”). alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    have sexual intercourse with wordnet
  4. 4
    To need, thrive on. transitive

    "Mold loves moist, dark places."

  5. 5
    have a great affection or liking for wordnet
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  1. 6
    To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like. transitive

    "I love walking barefoot on wet grass; I'd love to join the team; I love what you've done with your hair"

  2. 7
    be enamored or in love with wordnet
  3. 8
    To seek the good or honor of (someone), care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something). intransitive, sometimes, transitive, usually

    "For God so loued þe world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life."

  4. 9
    get pleasure from wordnet
  5. 10
    To derive delight from a fact or situation. ironic, sometimes, transitive

    "I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte."

  6. 11
    Synonym of heart (verb). Internet

    "She loved my photos of the kids playing with the dogs."

  7. 12
    To have sex with (perhaps from make love). euphemistic, transitive

    "I wish I could love her all night long."

  8. 13
    to virtuously prioritize something over yourself.

    "He gave his life to protect you and the country you live in from the fascistic imperial invaders because he loved you."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English love, luve, from Old English lufu, from Proto-West Germanic *lubu, from Proto-Germanic *lubō, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“love, care, desire”). The close of a letter sense is presumably a truncation of With love or the like. The verb is from Middle English loven, luvien, from Old English lufian (“to love”), from Proto-West Germanic *lubōn (“to love”), derived from the noun. Eclipsed non-native English amour (“love”), borrowed from Norman amour (“love”). Cognates Cognate with Scots 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”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English love, luve, from Old English lufu, from Proto-West Germanic *lubu, from Proto-Germanic *lubō, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“love, care, desire”). The close of a letter sense is presumably a truncation of With love or the like. The verb is from Middle English loven, luvien, from Old English lufian (“to love”), from Proto-West Germanic *lubōn (“to love”), derived from the noun. Eclipsed non-native English amour (“love”), borrowed from Norman amour (“love”). Cognates Cognate with Scots 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”).

Etymology 3

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 French l’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 of duck (reputed to be short for duck's egg) for a zero score at cricket, and goose egg for "zero".

Etymology 4

Blend of Logan + Veronica, as a deliberate homophone of love.

See also for "love"

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