Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

love       (lŭv)  Pronunciation Key  n.   A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance. Sexual passion. Sexual intercourse. A love affair. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love. An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment. An expression of one's affection: Send him my love. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love. Love Mythology Eros or Cupid. often Love Christianity Charity. Sports A zero score in tennis. v.   loved, lov·ing, loves v.   tr. To have a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward (a person): We love our parents. I love my friends. To have a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward (a person). To have an intense emotional attachment to: loves his house. To embrace or caress. To have sexual intercourse with. To like or desire enthusiastically: loves swimming. Theology To have charity for. To thrive on; need: The cactus loves hot, dry air. v.   intr. To experience deep affection or intense desire for another. [Middle English, from Old English lufu; see leubh- in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: These nouns denote feelings of warm personal attachment or strong attraction to another person. Love is the most intense: marrying for love. Affection is a less ardent and more unvarying feeling of tender regard: parental affection. Devotion is earnest, affectionate dedication and implies selflessness: teachers admired for their devotion to children. Fondness is strong liking or affection: a fondness for small animals. Infatuation is foolish or extravagant attraction, often of short duration: lovers blinded to their differences by their mutual infatuation.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
love  (n.)

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
love  (v.)

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

love
noun
1.	a strong positive emotion of regard and affection; "his love for his work"; "children need a lot of love" [ant: hate]
2.	any object of warm affection or devotion; "the theater was her first love"; "he has a passion for cock fighting";
3.	a beloved person; used as terms of endearment [syn: beloved]
4.	a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction; "their love left them indifferent to their surroundings"; "she was his first love"
5.	a score of zero in tennis or squash; "it was 40 love"
6.	sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people; "his lovemaking disgusted her"; "he hadn't had any love in months"; "he has a very complicated love life" [syn: sexual love]
verb
1.	have a great affection or liking for; "I love French food"; "She loves her boss and works hard for him" [ant: detest]
2.	get pleasure from; "I love cooking"
3.	be enamored or in love with; "She loves her husband deeply"
4.	have sexual intercourse with; "This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm"; "Adam knew Eve"; "Were you ever intimate with this man?" [syn: sleep together]

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

love

In addition to the idioms beginning with love, also see all's fair in love and war; course of true love; fall in love; for the love of; labor of love; make love; misery loves company; no love lost; not for love or money; puppy love; somebody up there loves me.

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

love
What many users feel for computers.
"I don't really love computers, I just say that to get them into bed with me". (Terry Pratchet)
[What did you expect in a computing dictionary?]
(1995-05-10)

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Love County, OK (county, FIPS 85) Location: 33.95347 N, 97.24851 W
Population (1990): 8157 (3583 housing units)
Area: 1335.0 sq km (land), 42.9 sq km (water)

Love Valley, NC (town, FIPS 39420) Location: 35.99016 N, 80.98516 W
Population (1990): 67 (74 housing units)
Area: 0.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Love

Love\, n. [OE. love, luve, AS. lufe, lufu; akin to E. lief, believe, L. lubet, libet,it pleases, Skr. lubh to be lustful. See Lief.]

1. A feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; pre["e]minent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters.

Of all the dearest bonds we prove Thou countest sons' and mothers' love Most sacred, most Thine own. --Keble.

2. Especially, devoted attachment to, or tender or passionate affection for, one of the opposite sex.

He on his side Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordial love Hung over her enamored. --Milton.

3. Courtship; -- chiefly in the phrase to make love, i. e., to court, to woo, to solicit union in marriage.

Demetrius . . . Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena, And won her soul. --Shak.

4. Affection; kind feeling; friendship; strong liking or desire; fondness; good will; -- opposed to hate; often with of and an object.

Love, and health to all. --Shak.

Smit with the love of sacred song. --Milton.

The love of science faintly warmed his breast. --Fenton.

5. Due gratitude and reverence to God.

Keep yourselves in the love of God. --Jude 21.

6. The object of affection; -- often employed in endearing address. "Trust me, love." --Dryden.

Open the temple gates unto my love. --Spenser.

7. Cupid, the god of love; sometimes, Venus.

Such was his form as painters, when they show Their utmost art, on naked Lores bestow. --Dryden.

Therefore do nimble-pinioned doves draw Love. --Shak.

8. A thin silk stuff. [Obs.] --Boyle.

9. (Bot.) A climbing species of Clematis (C. Vitalba).

10. Nothing; no points scored on one side; -- used in counting score at tennis, etc.

He won the match by three sets to love. --The Field.

Note: Love is often used in the formation of compounds, in most of which the meaning is very obvious; as, love-cracked, love-darting, love-killing, love-linked, love-taught, etc.

A labor of love, a labor undertaken on account of regard for some person, or through pleasure in the work itself, without expectation of reward.

Free love, the doctrine or practice of consorting with one of the opposite sex, at pleasure, without marriage. See Free love.

Free lover, one who avows or practices free love.

In love, in the act of loving; -- said esp. of the love of the sexes; as, to be in love; to fall in love.

Love apple (Bot.), the tomato.

Love bird (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of small, short-tailed parrots, or parrakeets, of the genus Agapornis, and allied genera. They are mostly from Africa. Some species are often kept as cage birds, and are celebrated for the affection which they show for their mates.

Love broker, a person who for pay acts as agent between lovers, or as a go-between in a sexual intrigue. --Shak.

Love charm, a charm for exciting love. --Ld. Lytton.

Love child. an illegitimate child. --Jane Austen.

Love day, a day formerly appointed for an amicable adjustment of differences. [Obs.] --Piers Plowman. --Chaucer.

Love drink, a love potion; a philter. --Chaucer.

Love favor, something given to be worn in token of love.

Love feast, a religious festival, held quarterly by some religious denominations, as the Moravians and Methodists, in imitation of the agap[ae] of the early Christians.

Love feat, the gallant act of a lover. --Shak.

Love game, a game, as in tennis, in which the vanquished person or party does not score a point.

Love grass. [G. liebesgras.] (Bot.) Any grass of the genus Eragrostis.

Love-in-a-mist. (Bot.) (a) An herb of the Buttercup family (Nigella Damascena) having the flowers hidden in a maze of finely cut bracts. (b) The West Indian Passiflora f[oe]tida, which has similar bracts.

Love-in-idleness (Bot.), a kind of violet; the small pansy.

A little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound; And maidens call it love-in-idleness. --Shak.

Love juice, juice of a plant supposed to produce love. --Shak.

Love knot, a knot or bow, as of ribbon; -- so called from being used as a token of love, or as a pledge of mutual affection. --Milman.

Love lass, a sweetheart.

Love letter, a letter of courtship. --Shak.

Love-lies-bleeding (Bot.), a species of amaranth (Amarantus melancholicus).

Love match, a marriage brought about by love alone.

Love potion, a compounded draught intended to excite love, or venereal desire.

Love rites, sexual intercourse. --Pope

Love scene, an exhibition of love, as between lovers on the stage.

Love suit, courtship. --Shak.

Of all loves, for the sake of all love; by all means. [Obs.] "Mrs. Arden desired him of all loves to come back again." --Holinshed.

The god of love, or Love god, Cupid.

To make love to, to express affection for; to woo. "If you will marry, make your loves to me." --Shak.

To play for love, to play a game, as at cards, without stakes. "A game at piquet for love." --Lamb.

Syn: Affection; friendship; kindness; tenderness; fondness; delight.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Love

Love\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Loved; p. pr. & vb. n. Loving.] [AS. lufian. ?. See Love, n.]

1. To have a feeling of love for; to regard with affection or good will; as, to love one's children and friends; to love one's country; to love one's God.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. --Matt. xxii. 37.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. --Matt. xxii. 39.

2. To regard with passionate and devoted affection, as that of one sex for the other.

3. To take delight or pleasure in; to have a strong liking or desire for, or interest in; to be pleased with; to like; as, to love books; to love adventures.

Wit, eloquence, and poetry. Arts which I loved. --Cowley.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Love

Love\, v. i. To have the feeling of love; to be in love.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Love

This word seems to require explanation only in the case of its use by our Lord in his interview with "Simon, the son of Jonas," after his resurrection (John 21:16, 17). When our Lord says, "Lovest thou me?" he uses the Greek word _agapas_; and when Simon answers, he uses the Greek word _philo_, i.e., "I love." This is the usage in the first and second questions put by our Lord; but in the third our Lord uses Simon's word. The distinction between these two Greek words is thus fitly described by Trench:, "_Agapan_ has more of judgment and deliberate choice; _philein_ has more of attachment and peculiar personal affection. Thus the 'Lovest thou' (Gr. agapas) on the lips of the Lord seems to Peter at this moment too cold a word, as though his Lord were keeping him at a distance, or at least not inviting him to draw near, as in the passionate yearning of his heart he desired now to do. Therefore he puts by the word and substitutes his own stronger 'I love' (Gr. philo) in its room. A second time he does the same. And now he has conquered; for when the Lord demands a third time whether he loves him, he does it in the word which alone will satisfy Peter ('Lovest thou,' Gr. phileis), which alone claims from him that personal attachment and affection with which indeed he knows that his heart is full." In 1 Cor. 13 the apostle sets forth the excellency of love, as the word "charity" there is rendered in the Revised Version.