lovey

[luhv-ee]

noun Chiefly British Informal.

sweetheart; dear: used as a term of endearment.

Origin of lovey

First recorded in 1725–35; love + -ey²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lovey

Historical Examples of lovey

There wa'n't nobody else; the world was all Reuben 'n' all Lovey to them.
The Village Watch-Tower
(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin
Babies are common enough to most folks, but Lovey was diff'rent.
The Village Watch-Tower
(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin
"Me and Bart having written our names, lovey," put in Deborah.
The Opal Serpent
Fergus Hume
I ought to know, my own lovey pet, that we can trust you in everything.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Richard Doddridge Blackmore
Lovey, Auntie doesn't like to see you wearing a pin like that!
Saturday's Child
Kathleen Norris

British Dictionary definitions for lovey

lovey

noun

British informal another word for love (def. 11)

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

Word Origin and History for lovey

affectionate pet name, 1731, from love (n.) + -y (3). Extended form lovey-dovey attested from 1819 (n.), 1847 (adj.).