lofe meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

lofe

noun

Etymology Inherited from Middle English lofe, lof (“praise, price”), from Old English lof (“praise, glory, repute, song of praise, hymn”), from Proto-West Germanic *lob, from Proto-Germanic *lubą (“praise, permission”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, like”) (and thence a distant cognate of English love). Cognate with Scots lofe (“an offer”), North Frisian lof (“praise”), Dutch lof (“praise, glory, commendation”), German Lob (“praise, commendation, tribute”), Icelandic lof (“praise”). For semantic development, perhaps compare etymology of praise and its senses.

Northern England, West Midlands An offer; choice; an opportunity; chance.

"Yance I hed t' lofe an' I'd luck to say no, an' I niver hed t' lofe ageàn."—Said by an elderly spinster.1869, Alexander Craig Gibson, The Folk-Speech of Cumberland and Some Districts Adjacent, page 212:

lofe

verb

Etymology Inherited from Middle English loven (“to praise, set a price on”), from Old English lofian (“to praise, exalt, appraise, value, set a price on”), from Proto-West Germanic *lobōn, from Proto-Germanic *lubōną (“to praise, vow”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, like”). Cognate with Scots loave (“to offer at a price”), North Frisian lowe (“to vow, swear”), Dutch loven (“to praise, bless, commend”), German loben (“to praise, laud, commend”), Icelandic lofa (“to promise, praise, allow”).

UK, Dialectal, Obsolete To praise; commend.

Northern England, West Midlands To offer; offer at a price; expose for sale.

Ah'd lofed him it an' he wadn't tak 't.1899, William Dickinson, Edward William Prevost, Simon Dickson Brown, A Glossary of the Words and Phrases Pertaining to the Dialect of Cumberland, page 202:

Related terms: lovely

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.