lave
1[ leyv ]
/ leɪv /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
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, adjectiveun·lav·ing, adjectiveOther definitions for lave (2 of 3)
lave2
[ leyv ]
/ leɪv /
noun Scot.
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 ]
/ leɪv /
adjective British.
(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. 2022
How to use lave in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lave
Word Origin for lave
Old 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