Where does “tug of love” come from?
tug of love (English) comes from English Love, from Middle English love, from Old English lufu, from Proto-West Germanic *lubu, from Proto-Germanic lubō, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.
tug of love (English): A dispute concerning which of two separated parents should have custody of one or more children
Definitions
- A dispute concerning which of two separated parents should have custody of one or more children
Ancestry of “tug of love”, step by step
tug of love traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Love
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Love | radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter L |
| 2 | Middle English | love | love; strong and deep affection |
| 3 | Old English | lufu | love |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *lubu | love |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lubō | love, affection |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |
via English tug of war
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tug of war | A game or competition in which two teams pull or tug on opposite ends of a rope trying to force the other team over the line which initially marked the middle between the two teams |