Английский Этимологический словарь - love (n.)

- O.E. lufu "love," from P.Gmc. *lubo, from PIE *leubh- "to care, desire; love." The verb is O.E. lufian, from P.Gmc. *lubojanan. Ancient Gk. distinguishes four different kinds of love that merge in the Eng. word (cf. eros "sexual love," phileo "have affection for," agapao "have regard for, be contented with," and stergo, used especially of the love of parents and children or a ruler and his subjects). The sense "no score" (in tennis, etc.) is 1742, from the notion of "playing for love," i.e. "for nothing." Love child "child born out of wedlock," first attested 1805, from earlier love brat (17c.). Lovesick is attested from 1530; lovelorn from 1634; lovely is O.E. luflic "affectionate, loveable," the modern sense is from 13c., "applied indiscriminately to all pleasing material objects, from a piece of plum-cake to a Gothic cathedral" [Marsh]. Love-apple (Fr. pomme d'amour, Ger. liebesapfel) was a former name for "tomato" (first attested 1578), for reasons which remain obscure.