Where does lofe come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

lofe

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.19 in modern English

Syllables: lofe
IPA

Scrabble Score

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Meaning

noun

An offer; choice; an opportunity; chance.

verb

To praise; commend.

British usage; Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To offer; offer at a price; expose for sale.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

""Yance I hed t' lofe an' I'd luck to say no, an' I niver hed t' lofe ageàn."—Said by an elderly spinster."
"Ah'd lofed him it an' he wadn't tak 't."

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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: lofe, lof, *lob, *lubą, *lewbʰ-, loven

Usage

Inflected Forms

lofes (plural) loff (alternative) loave (alternative) lofes (present, singular) lofing (participle, present) lofed (participle, past) lofed (past) love (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

lovely