lave
1[ leyv ]
verb (used with object),laved, lav·ing.
to wash; bathe.
(of a river, sea, etc.) to flow along, against, or past; wash.
Obsolete. to ladle; pour or dip with a ladle.
verb (used without object),laved, lav·ing.
Archaic. to bathe.
Origin of lave
1First recorded before 900; Middle English laven “to wash, bathe, moisten,” partly from Old French laver, from Latin lavāre “to wash, bathe”; partly from Old English lafian “to pour water on, wash,” gelafian “to wash, lave, refresh,” itself perhaps from Latin lavāre
Other words from lave
- un·laved, adjective
- un·lav·ing, adjective
Other definitions for lave (2 of 3)
lave2
[ leyv ]
nounScot.
the remainder; the rest.
Origin of lave
2First recorded before 1000; Middle English love, lave, loave, Old English lāf “remnant, remains”; cognate with Old High German leiba, Old Norse leif, Gothic laiba; akin to leave1
Other definitions for lave (3 of 3)
lave3
[ leyv ]
adjectiveBritish.
(of ears) large and drooping.
Origin of lave
3First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; special use of lave1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for lave
lave
/ (leɪv) /
verb
an archaic word for wash
Origin of lave
1Old English lafian, perhaps from Latin lavāre to wash
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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