lʌv n. & v. --n. 1 an
intense feeling of
deep affection or fondness
for a
person or
thing;
great liking. 2
sexual passion. 3 sexual relations. 4 a a
beloved one; a
sweetheart (often as a
form of address). b
Brit. colloq. a form of
address regardless of affection. 5 colloq. a person of
whom one is
fond. 6
affectionate greetings (give
him my love). 7 (often Love) a
representation of
Cupid. 8 (in
some games) no
score;
nil. --v.tr. 1 (also absol.)
feel love or deep fondness for. 2
delight in;
admire;
greatly cherish. 3 colloq. like
very much (loves books). 4 (foll. by
verbal noun, or to + infin.) be inclined,
esp. as a
habit; greatly
enjoy;
find pleasure in (children love
dressing up; loves to find fault). øfall in love (often foll. by with)
develop a great (esp. sexual) love (for). for love for pleasure
not profit. for
the love of for the sake
of. in love (often foll. by with) deeply enamoured (of). love
affair a
romantic or sexual
relationship between two people in love. love-apple
archaic a
tomato. love-bird
any of
various African and Madagascan parrots, esp. Agapornis personata. love-child an
illegitimate child. love-feast 1 a meal affirming brotherly love
among early Christians. 2 a
religious service of Methodists,
etc., imitating
this. love game a game in
which the
loser makes no score. love-hate relationship an intensely
emotional relationship in which one or
each party
has ambivalent feelings of love and
hate for the
other. love-in-a-mist a blue-flowered
garden plant, Nigella damascena,
with many delicate green bracts. love-letter a
letter expressing feelings of sexual love. love-lies-bleeding a garden plant, Amaranthus caudatus, with drooping spikes of purple-red blooms. love-match a
marriage made for love's sake. love-nest a
place of intimate
lovemaking. love-seat an
armchair or
small sofa for two.
make love (often foll. by to) 1
have sexual
intercourse (with). 2 archaic pay
amorous attention (to). not for love or
money colloq. not in any circumstances.
out of love no longer in love. øøloveworthy adj. [OE lufu f. Gmc]
