LOVE
love (lův) noun
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.
3. a. Sexual passion. b. Sexual intercourse. c. A love affair.
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.
7. a. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language. b. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
8. Love. Mythology. Eros or Cupid.
9. Often Love . Theology. Charity.
10. Love. Christian Science. God.
11. Sports. A zero score in tennis.
verb
loved, loving, loves verb, transitive
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.
4. a. To embrace or caress. b. 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.
verb, intransitive To experience deep affection or intense desire for another.
- idiom.
for love
Out of compassion; with no thought for a reward: She volunteers at the hospital for love.
for love or money
Under any circumstances. Usually used in negative sentences: I would not do that for love or money.
for the love of
For the sake of; in consideration for: did it all for the love of praise.
no love lost
No affection; animosity: There's no love lost between them.
[Middle English, from Old English lufu.]
Synonyms: love, affection, devotion, fondness, infatuation. These nouns denote feelings of warm personal attachment or strong attraction to another person. Love suggests a more intense feeling than that associated with the other words of this group: married for love. Affection is a less ardent and more unvarying feeling of tender regard: parental affection. Devotion is earnest, affectionate dedication; it implies a more selfless, often more abiding feeling than love: The devotion of the aged couple is inspiring. Fondness is strong liking or affection: showed their fondness for their grandchildren by financing their education. Infatuation is foolish or extravagant attraction, often of short duration: Their infatuation blinded them to the fundamental differences in their points of view. See also synonyms at like1.
LIKE1
like (lěk) verb liked, liking, likes verb, transitive 1. To find pleasant or attractive; enjoy. 2. To want to have: would like some coffee. 3. To feel about; regard: How do you like her nerve! 4. Archaic. To be pleasing to.
verb, intransitive 1. To have an inclination or a preference: If you like, we can meet you there. 2. Scots. To be pleased.
noun Something that is liked; a preference: made a list of his likes and dislikes.
[Middle English liken, from Old English lěcian, to please.]
Synonyms: like, love, enjoy, relish, fancy, dote. These verbs mean to be attracted to or to find agreeable. Like, the least forceful, suggests mere interest, approval, or favor: "I may like him well enough; but you don't love your servants" (Harriet Beecher Stowe). Love implies a strong attachment or intense affection and deep involvement on an emotional level: "All his faults are such that one loves him still the better for them" (Oliver Goldsmith). Enjoy is applied to what gives personal satisfaction or pleasure: "There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it" (Logan Pearsall Smith). Relish applies to what moves one to keen or zestful appreciation: "Every great and original writer . . . must himself create the taste by which he is to be relished" (William Wordsworth). One fancies what appeals to one's taste, inclination, imagination, or notion of what a person or thing should be: She fancies elegant clothes and jewelry. Caviar is a delicacy, but few children fancy it. Dote implies foolish, extravagant attachment: He dotes on his grandchildren and indulges their every whim.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.
Boris Liberman wrote:
Hi!
Thanks a lot everyone who took their time to answer. You're very friendly bunch and I really like you <evil grin>...
Know I can claim a little better knowledge of English than, say, yesterday <grin>.
Thanks!
Boris
-- graywolf http://graywolfphoto.com
"You might as well accept people as they are, you are not going to be able to change them anyway."
