from
http://m-w.com
Quote:
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lEof dear, Latin lubEre, libEre to please
Date: before 12th century
1 a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties <maternal love for a child> (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates> b : an assurance of love <give her my love>
2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion <love of the sea>
3 a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration <baseball was his first love> b (1) : a beloved person : DARLING -- often used as a term of endearment (2) British -- used as an informal term of address
4 a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God
5 : a god or personification of love
6 : an amorous episode : LOVE AFFAIR
7 : the sexual embrace : COPULATION
8 : a score of zero (as in tennis)
9 capitalized, Christian Science : GOD
- at love : holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis
- in love : inspired by affection
and as a verb
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): loved; lov·ing
Date: before 12th century
transitive senses
1 : to hold dear : CHERISH
2 a : to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for b (1) : CARESS (2) : to fondle amorously (3) : to copulate with
3 : to like or desire actively : take pleasure in <loved to play the violin>
4 : to thrive in <the rose loves sunlight>
intransitive senses : to feel affection or experience desire
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And just to cross reference, affection, from the same source:
Quote:
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French affection, from Latin affection-, affectio, from afficere
Date: 13th century
1 : a moderate feeling or emotion
2 : tender attachment : FONDNESS <she had a deep affection for her parents>
3 a (1) : a bodily condition (2) : DISEASE, MALADY b : ATTRIBUTE <shape and weight are affections of bodies>
4 obsolete : PARTIALITY, PREJUDICE
5 : the feeling aspect (as in pleasure) of consciousness
6 a : PROPENSITY, DISPOSITION b archaic : AFFECTATION 1
7 : the action of affecting : the state of being affected
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Unfortunately, the dictionary definition is just as ambiguous as most people's definitions usually are (you try asking someone on the street what love means...)
(apologies for the double-post)