# love
## English
### Alternative forms

* loue (obsolete typography)
* luv

### Pronunciation

* enPR: lŭv
** (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA: /lʌv/
*** Audio (Received Pronunciation):(file)
*** Audio (General American):(file)
** (General Australian) IPA: /lʌv/, [läv~lɐv]
** (India) IPA: /lʌv/, [lɘʋ], [lɘv]
** (Northern England, Ireland) IPA: /lʊv/
* Rhymes: -ʌv

### 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 include Russian любовь (ljubovʹ), Latin libido (“desire, lust”), Polish lubić and Sanskrit लोभ (lobha, “desire, greed”).

#### Noun

love (countable and uncountable, plural loves)
* (uncountable) A deep caring for the existence of another.
* (uncountable) Strong affection.
    Antonyms: hate, hatred, angst, indifference
** A profound and caring affection towards someone.
    A mother’s love is not easily shaken.
    My husband’s love is the most important thing in my life.
*** 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost:He on his side / Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordial love / Hung over her enamoured.
*** 2014, S. Hidden, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Mystical Perspectives on the Love of God, →ISBN:
** Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for their well-being.
*** 1864, Utilitarianism Explained and Exemplified in Moral and Political Government:
    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[.]
*** 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart”, in Strength to Love‎, New York: Pocket Books, published 1964, →OCLC, page 7:Through nonviolent resistance we shall be able to oppose the unjust system and at the same time love 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.
** A feeling of intense attraction towards someone.
    I have never been in love as much as I have with you.
*** 1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, page 39:Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, / Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman ſcorn'd.
*** 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: 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 her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.
** A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something.
    My love of cricket knows no bounds.
*** 2012, Philip Auerswald, 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 longstanding love of the open road?
* (countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.
    Synonyms: baby, darling, honey, lover, pet, sweetheart; see also Thesaurus:sweetheart
** 1595, Edmund Spenser, Epithalamion:Open the temple gates unto my love.
** c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:O love, dispatch all business, and be gone!
** 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:'Oh, my love, my love!' 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, The Dubliners, Dirty Old Town:I met my love by the gasworks wall.
* (colloquial, Commonwealth) A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings.
    Synonyms: mate, darling, lovey, sweetie, sweetheart
    Hello love, how can I help you?
* A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm.
** 1997 March, “Faces of Today's Black Woman”, in Ebony, volume 52, number 5, page 96: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."
* (euphemistic) Sexual desire; attachment based on sexual attraction.
    Synonyms: aphrodisia, carnality; see also Thesaurus:lust
** 2013, Ronald Long, Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods, Routledge, →ISBN, page 3: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.
* (euphemistic) Sexual activity.
    Synonyms: lovemaking, sex; see also Thesaurus:copulation
** 1986, Ben Elton et al., “Bells”, in Blackadder II:—What think you, my lord, of... love? —You mean ‘rumpy-pumpy’.
* An instance or episode of being in love; a love affair.
    Synonym: romance
** 2014, E. L. Todd, Then Came Absolution, →ISBN:Maybe it was just a summer love, something with no future.
* Used as the closing, before the signature, of a letter, especially between good friends or family members, or by the young.
* Alternative letter-case form of Love (“personification of love”).
** c. 1810, Samuel Johnson (in The Works of Samuel Johnson):
    At busy hearts in vain love's arrows fly; [...]
* (obsolete) A thin 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 a Love-Hood.
* A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba.
* (Can we verify this sense?) The process of supporting all conscious beings in living the way they desire to live, without intentional harm, abuse, neglect, deprivation, indifference, negativity or greed expressed towards anyone, including the self.
   “... love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” (Erich Fromm, 1956)

##### Translations
#### Verb

love (third-person singular simple present loves, present participle loving, simple past and past participle loved)
* (usually transitive, sometimes intransitive, stative) To have a strong affection for (someone or something).
    I love my spouse. I love you! I love that song!
** 1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter VI, in 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 I loved 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 to love again.
* (transitive) To need, thrive on.
    Mold loves moist, dark places.
* (transitive) To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like.
    I love walking barefoot on wet grass; I'd love to join the team; I love what you've done with your hair
** 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:"I love not that underlings should perceive my wisdom."
* (usually transitive, sometimes intransitive) To seek the good or honor of (someone), care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 3:16: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.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 22:37–39:Iesus sayd vnto him, Thou shalt loue 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 shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe.
* (transitive, sometimes ironic) To derive delight from a fact or situation.
    I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.
* (Internet) Synonym of heart (verb).
    Coordinate terms: like, unlike
    She loved my photos of the kids playing with the dogs.
* (transitive, euphemistic) To have sex with (perhaps from make love).
    I wish I could love her all night long.

##### Conjugation

$^†$ Archaic or obsolete.

##### Synonyms

* (have a strong affection for): adore, cherish; see also Thesaurus:love
* (have sexual intercourse with): enjoy, go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with

##### Antonyms

* hate, despise, fear

##### Derived terms

* all is fair in love and war
* all-loving
* all's fair in love and war
* apple of love
* boy's love
* boys' love
* brotherly love
* calf love
* castle of love
* cat's love
* courtly love
* cupboard love
* declaration of love
* do you love me
* everything is fair in love and war
* face only a mother could love
* face that only a mother could love
* falling in love
* fall in love
* fall out of love
* first love
* for love nor money
* for love or money
* for the love of
* for the love of all that is good
* for the love of all that is holy
* for the love of Betsy
* for the love of Christ
* for the love of fuck
* for the love of God
* for the love of Goddess
* for the love of me
* for the love of Mike
* for the love of shit
* free love
* God love someone
* hate the sin but love the sinner
* I have to love you and leave you
* I love you
* I'm in love with you
* in love
* in love with
* labor of love
* labour of love
* lack-love
* lad's love
* lady love
* law of love
* light o' love
* light-o'-love
* Lord love a duck
* Lord love you
* lots of love
* love a duck
* love affair
* love-aholic
* love apple
* love at first sight
* love-bead
* love bead
* love bird, lovebird
* love-bite
* love bite, lovebite
* love boat
* love-bomb
* love bomb
* love-bombing
* love bombing
* love box
* love bug
* lovebunny
* love button
* love canal
* love child
* love-child
* love conquers all
* love curl
* love custard
* love cycle
* love darg
* love dart
* loveday
* love doll
* love dove
* love drug
* loved-up
* love egg
* love feast
* love-feat
* love game
* love glove
* love goggles
* love grass
* love-hair
* love handle
* love-handled
* love-hate
* love-hatred
* love heart
* love hold
* love hole
* love hotel
* love-in
* love in a mist
* love-in-a-mist
* love in a puff
* love-in-idleness
* love interest
* love-in-winter
* love is blind
* love is love
* love it or lump it
* love jihad
* love jones
* love jug
* love juice
* love knot
* love language
* loveless
* love letter
* love-lies-bleeding
* love life
* love-light
* love-lock
* love lock
* love lotion
* lovely
* love machine
* love-making
* love making
* lovemap
* love marriage
* love match
* love-match
* love mound
* love muscle
* love nest
* love nut
* love offering
* love of one's life
* love on
* love padlock
* love philtre
* love pill
* love pillow
* love play
* love pocket
* love polygon
* love potion
* love powder
* love pump
* love quadrangle
* lover
* love rat
* love rectangle
* love rose
* lovertine
* love sausage
* love scam
* love scene
* love script
* love seat
* loveship
* love-shy
* love-shyness
* lovesick
* love slave
* lovesome
* love song
* love spoon
* love spud
* love spuds
* love stick
* lovestone
* love story
* love-struck
* love swing
* love tap
* love-tap
* love team
* love the sinner but hate the sin
* love token
* love toy
* love triangle
* love truncheon
* love tunnel
* love up
* love vine
* love wand
* love-worthiness
* loveworthy
* love ya
* lovey-dovey
* love you
* loving kindness
* loyal love
* make love
* make love to the camera
* money-love
* no glove no love
* no love lost
* only a mother could love
* parental love
* Persian love
* physical love
* platonic love
* play for love
* progressive love
* puppy love
* self-love
* self-loving
* sisterly love
* soul-love
* the course of true love never did run smooth
* the love of money is the root of all evil
* tough love
* tough-love
* true love
* true-love knot
* true-love-knot
* tug of love
* tunnel of love
* unrequited love
* what's not to love
* zouk love

##### Related terms

* lov
* luv
* wuv

##### Descendants

* Sranan Tongo: lobi
** Aukan: lobi
** Saramaccan: lóbi

##### Translations
#### See also

* charity

### Etymology 2

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".

#### Noun

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 day Agassi came back from two sets to love down to beat Courier in five sets.
* Nothing; no recompense.
** 1916, H. Rider Haggard, The Ivory Child:I fought the white man for less than sixpence. I fought him for love, which is nothing at all.

##### Translations
### Etymology 3
#### Verb

love (third-person singular simple present loves, present participle loving, simple past and past participle loved)
* Alternative form of lofe (“to praise, sell”)

### References

* “love”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* love in Keywords 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”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* levo, levo-, velo-, vole, voël

## Czech
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈlovɛ]
* Hyphenation: lo‧ve

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Romani love.

#### Noun

love f pl (indeclinable)
* (slang, cant) money
    Synonym: prachy

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Noun

love m
* vocative singular of lov

### Further reading

* “love”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)

## Danish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈlɔːvə/, [ˈlɔːʋə], [ˈlɔːʊ]

### Etymology 1

From Middle Low German lōve, from Proto-Germanic *galaubô, cognate with German Glaube.

#### Noun

love c
* (obsolete) trust, faith
    only in the phrase på tro og love (“solemnly”)

#### References

* “love,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse lofa, from Proto-Germanic *(ga)lubōną, cognate with Swedish lova (“to promise; to praise”), German loben (“to praise”), geloben (“to vow”), Dutch loven (“to praise”).

#### Verb

love (past tense lovede, past participle lovet)
* to promise
* (solemn) to praise

##### Conjugation

activepassive
present
lover
loves
past
lovede
lovedes
infinitive
love
loves
imperative
lov
participle
present
lovende
past
lovet (auxiliary verb have)
gerund
loven :

#### References

* “love,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
* “love,3” in Den Danske Ordbog

### Etymology 3

See See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Noun

love c
* indefinite plural of lov

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Verb

love
* (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of loven

### Anagrams

* velo, voel

## French
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Verb

love
* inflection of lover:
** first-person /third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** second-person singular imperative

### Anagrams

* vélo, vole, volé

## Friulian
### Etymology

From Latin lupa, feminine of lupus. Compare Venetan lova, French louve.

### Pronunciation

* This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

### Noun

love f (plural lovis)
* she-wolf

#### Related terms

* lôf

## Hunsrik
### Etymology

Inherited from Middle High German loben, from Old High German lobōn, from Proto-West Germanic *lobōn, from Proto-Germanic *lubōną.
Cognate with German loben, Luxembourgish luewen.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈloːvə/
* Rhymes: -oːvə
* Syllabification: lo‧ve

### Verb

love
* (transitive) to praise [with accusative]
    Sie hon en fiel gelobd.They praised him a lot.

#### Conjugation

The present participle is uncommonly used, but can be made with the suffix -end.

#### Derived terms

* ferlove
* gelove

### References

* ↑ Piter Kehoma Boll (2021) “love”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português (in Portuguese), 3rd edition, Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch, page 105

## Inari Sami
### Etymology

From Proto-Samic *lokē

### Numeral

love
* ten

#### Inflection

This numeral needs an inflection-table template.

#### Further reading

* love in Marja-Liisa Olthuis, Taarna Valtonen, Miina Seurujärvi and Trond Trosterud (2015–2022) Nettidigisäänih Anarâškiela-suomakielâ-anarâškielâ sänikirje‎, Tromsø: UiT
* Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

## Middle Dutch
### Noun

lōve
* dative singular of lof

## Middle English
### Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English lufu, from Proto-West Germanic *lubu, from Proto-Germanic *lubō.

#### Alternative forms

* lof, lofe, louf, luf, lufe, luff, luffe, luve
* leove, lofve, lufæ (Early Middle English)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈluv(ə)/, /ˈloːv(ə)/

#### Noun

love (plural loves)
* Love; strong and deep affection:
** Sexual or romantic desire (in humans and other animals)
** Theosis, sanctification, or love as a means to attain it.
* One who one loves; a loved individual:
** A lover; a sexual or romantic partner.
** A personification or embodiment of love.
** (Christianity) The Holy Spirit (or less often, God generally).
* A peace treaty; the ending of hostilities.
* (rare) Permission, consent.

##### Related terms

* lovable
* loveache
* loveday
* loveles
* lovely
* loven
* lovere
* loverede
* lovesom
* lovynge

##### Descendants

* English: love
* Scots: luve, lufe
* Yola: loove

#### References

* “lǒve, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 2

Inherited from Old English lāfe, oblique singular of lāf, from Proto-West Germanic *laibu, from Proto-Germanic *laibō; compare leven (“to halt”), which some forms are influenced by.

#### Alternative forms

* lave, leve, loove
* lafe, læve, loave (Early Middle English)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈlɔːv(ə)/
* (Northern) IPA: /laːf/, /ˈlaːv(ə)/

#### Noun

love (uncountable)
* The remainder or rest; that which is left.
** c. 1375, “Book VI”, in Iohne Barbour, De geſtis bellis et uirtutibus domini Roberti de Brwyß […] (The Brus, Advocates MS. 19.2.2)‎, Ouchtirmunſye: Iohannes Ramſay, published 1489, folio 21, recto, lines 431-434; 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 / Ϸe laue fled full affrayitlyThirlwall, who was their commander / was killed there in the struggle / with the greatest part of his men; / the rest fled very frightened.
* (rare) A widow; a woman whose husband has died.
    Synonyms: relicte, widwe

##### Descendants

* English: lave
* Scots: lave

#### References

* “lōve, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 3

Borrowed from Old Norse lófi, from Proto-Germanic *lōfô; compare glove.

#### Alternative forms

* lof, loove, louf, luf, lufe, luff, luffe

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈloːv(ə)/, /loːf/

#### Noun

love (plural loves)
* (chiefly Northern) palm of the hand

##### Descendants

* English: loof
* Scots: luif, lufe, luff

#### References

* “lọ̄ve, n.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 4
#### Verb

love
* Alternative form of loven (“to love”)

### Etymology 5
#### Verb

love
* Alternative form of loven (“to praise”)

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From Old Norse lofa.

### Verb

love (imperative lov, present tense lover, simple past and past participle lova or lovet, present participle lovende)
* to praise

### Verb

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)
* to promise
    (as an adjective) det lovede land - the Promised Land

#### Related terms

* løfte

### References

* “love” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Verb

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 of lova

### Noun

love m (definite singular loven, indefinite plural lovar, definite plural lovane)
* Alternative form of lóve

### Anagrams

* vole

## Romani
### Noun

love
* plural of lovo
* money

#### Descendants

* → French: lové
* → Hungarian: lóvé
* → Romanian: lovea
* → Russian: лавэ́ (lavɛ́)
* → Scots: lowie
* → Serbo-Croatian:
** Cyrillic script: ло́ва
** Latin script: lóva
* → Slovak: lóve

## Serbo-Croatian
### Noun

love (Cyrillic spelling лове)
* vocative singular of lov

### Verb

love (Cyrillic spelling лове)
* third-person plural present of loviti

## Swedish
### Noun

love c
* (chiefly in compounds) wrist (connecting the hand to the forearm)

#### Derived terms

* handlov

### References

* love in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* love in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)