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loving

 - 6 dictionary results

lov⋅ing

  [luhv-ing]
Use loving in a Sentence
–adjective
feeling or showing love; warmly affectionate; fond: loving glances.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME lovyng; r. ME lovende, OE lufiende. See love, -ing 2

Related forms:
lov⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
lov⋅ing⋅ness, noun

love

  [luhv] noun, verb, loved, lov⋅ing.
–noun
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
6. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
7. sexual intercourse; copulation.
8. (initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
9. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
10. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.
11. the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
12. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
13. Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
14. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.
–verb (used with object)
15. to have love or affection for: All her pupils love her.
16. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).
17. to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music.
18. to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
19. to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.
20. to have sexual intercourse with.
–verb (used without object)
21. to have love or affection for another person; be in love.
—Verb phrase
22. love up, to hug and cuddle: She loves him up every chance she gets.
—Idioms
23. for love,
a. out of affection or liking; for pleasure.
b. without compensation; gratuitously: He took care of the poor for love.
24. for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise.
25. in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion: a youth always in love.
26. in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored of: in love with the girl next door; in love with one's work.
27. make love,
a. to embrace and kiss as lovers.
b. to engage in sexual activity.
28. no love lost, dislike; animosity: There was no love lost between the two brothers.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE lufu, c. OFris luve, OHG luba, Goth lubō; (v.) ME lov(i)en, OE lufian; c. OFris luvia, OHG lubōn to love, L lubēre (later libēre) to be pleasing; akin to lief

Synonyms:
1. tenderness, fondness, predilection, warmth, passion, adoration. 1, 2. Love, affection, devotion all mean a deep and enduring emotional regard, usually for another person. Love may apply to various kinds of regard: the charity of the Creator, reverent adoration toward God or toward a person, the relation of parent and child, the regard of friends for each other, romantic feelings for another person, etc. Affection is a fondness for others that is enduring and tender, but calm. Devotion is an intense love and steadfast, enduring loyalty to a person; it may also imply consecration to a cause. 2. liking, inclination, regard, friendliness. 15. like. 16. adore, adulate, worship.

Antonyms:
1, 2. hatred, dislike. 15, 16. detest, hate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To loving
love   (lŭv)   
n.  

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

    1. Sexual passion.

    2. Sexual intercourse.

    3. A love affair.

    4. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.

    5. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.

  4. An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.

  5. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.

  6. An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.

    1. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.

    2. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.

  8. Love Mythology Eros or Cupid.

  9. often Love Christianity Charity.

  10. Sports A zero score in tennis.

v.   loved, lov·ing, loves

v.   tr.

  1. To have a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward (a person): We love our parents. I love my friends.

  2. To have a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward (a person).

  3. To have an intense emotional attachment to: loves his house.

    1. To embrace or caress.

    2. To have sexual intercourse with.

  5. To like or desire enthusiastically: loves swimming.

  6. Theology To have charity for.

  7. 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.
lov·ing   (lŭv'ĭng)   
adj.  

  1. Feeling love; affectionate.

  2. Indicative of or exhibiting love.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

love  (n.)
O.E. lufu "love, affection, friendliness," from P.Gmc. *lubo (cf. O.Fris. liaf, Ger. lieb, Goth. liufs "dear, beloved;" not found elsewhere as a noun, except O.H.G. luba, Ger. Liebe), from PIE *leubh- "to care, desire, love" (cf. L. lubet, later libet "pleases;" Skt. lubhyati "desires;" O.C.S. l'ubu "dear, beloved;" Lith. liaupse "song of praise"). Meaning "a beloved person" is from c.1225. The sense "no score" (in tennis, etc.) is 1742, from the notion of "playing for love," i.e. "for nothing" (1678). Love-letter is attested from c.1240; love-song from c.1310. To be in love with (someone) is from 1508. Love life "one's collective amorous activities" is from 1919, originally a term in psychological jargon. Phrase make love is attested from 1580 in the sense "pay amorous attention to;" as a euphemism for "have sex," it is attested from c.1950. Love child "child born out of wedlock," first attested 1805, from earlier love brat (17c.). Lovesick is attested from 1530; lovelorn from 1634 (see lose). Phrase for love or money "for anything" is attested from 1590. To fall in love is attested from 1423. The phrase no love lost (between two people) is ambiguous and was used 17c. in ref. to two who love each other well (c.1640) as well as two who have no love for each other (1622).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

loving

see tender loving care.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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