Where does “love” come from?
love (West Frisian) comes from Dutch loven, from Middle Dutch loven, from Old Dutch lovon, from Proto-West Germanic lobōn, from Proto-Germanic lubōną, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.
love (West Frisian): to promise
Definitions
- to promise
Ancestry of “love”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | loven | to praise; plural of loof |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | loven | to praise |
| 3 | Old Dutch | lovon | to praise |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lobōn | to praise |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lubōną | to praise |
| 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 |