~~ by tkbrown
22 September 2020 — Yesterday, I summarized the six Ancient Greek words for “love”. In reviewing available information for those words, I found a number of variations for them which I want to research some more so I can cover them with usable and understandable information.
I was excited to learn some of you will be looking forward to these posts. Various reasons for the anticipation were given. I have also learned some other topics of interest from others with specific interests. I want to take this opportunity to say, “Thank You”, for letting me know the posts will be of help to you. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me this. Please feel free to let me know, any time, when you have a certain topic of interest and I will try to address it in more depth if that is your preference. Again, Thank You, for keeping me informed of your interests.
Today, we will look at the English definitions for “love”. In the English language, “love” represents all forms of the word. It also represents both the noun and the verb usage. There are myriad other words in the English Language to describe more adeptly the type of love one is referencing, but the word “love” suffices in most cases. All of this information is gleaned from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love#. The full citation is located at the bottom of this post.
After I have covered the English “love” and the Greek words to cover the various forms of “love”, I will look briefuly look at words of “love” utilized in other languages. With discussion of the Greek words, I will post Bible Verses as examples of each form found there to help you understand the usage. All forms are not utilized in the Bible; some essayists coverage of the topic vary in the number of forms said to be used in the Bible. I will search those differences and the reasons given for the differences. Hopefully, this will clarify the usages for you.
Along with, but a separate portion of the Greek word coverage, I will also give the Hebrew words for “love” and examples of usage in the Old Testament. The Old Testament was written in the Ancient Hebrew language. Hopefully, this information will help clear up some questions as well.
If you have questions not answered in my posts, put them in the comments with a ping-back to your site and I will answer them at the end of each section (i.e., English, Greek, Hebrew, etc.) — all at one time.
Without further ado, here are the Merriam-Webster definitions for both the noun and verb forms of the word, “love”. There are some interesting tidbits at the bottom which I also found on the Merriam-Webster post.
1 — love (noun)
- strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
- (e.g., maternal love for a child)
- attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers
- (e.g., After all these years, they are still very much in love.)
- affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
- (e.g., love for his old schoolmates)
- an assurance of affection
- (e.g., give her my love)
- in love — inspired by affection
2 — love (noun)
- warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
- (e.g., love of the sea)
3 — love (noun)
- the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration
- (e.g., baseball was his first love
- a beloved person
- DARLING — often used as a term of endearment
4 — love (noun)
- unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another
- the fatherly concern of God for humankind
- brotherly concern for others
- a person’s adoration of God
5 — love (noun)
- a god (i.e., Cupid or Eros) or personification of love
6 — love (noun)
- an amorous episode
- love affair
7 — love (noun)
- the sexual embrace
- copulation
8 — love (noun)
- a score of zero
- holding one’s opponent scoreless in tennis
- (e.g., at love)
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1 — love (transitive verb) — also: loved, loving
- to hold dear
- cherish
- to feel a lover’s passion, devotion, or tenderness for
- caress
- to fondle amorously
- to copulate with
- to like or desire actively; take pleasure in
- (e.g., loved to play the violin)
- to thrive in
- (e.g., the rose loves sunlight)
2 — love (intransitive verb)
- to feel affection or experience desire
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More Definitions for “love”
Noun (From the English Language Learners Definition of “love”)
- a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person
- attraction that includes sexual desire
- the strong affection felt by people who have a romantic relationship
- a person you love in a romantic way
Verb (From the English Language Learners Definition of “love”)
- to feel great affection for (someone
- to feel ‘love’ for someone
- to feel sexual or romantic ‘love’ for someone
- to like or desire (something) very much
- to take great pleasure in (something)
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First Known Use of “love”
Noun — before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at: 1.
Verb — before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive verb: 1.
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History and Etymology for “love”
Middle English, from Old English lufu
- akin to Old High German: luba
- Old English: leof dear
- Latin: lubere, libere, to please
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Source:
Eds. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. (Last Update: 2020 copyright). “love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. (Accessed 22 September 2020). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love.
by tkbrown 