YourDictionary defines love as a strong affection for a person or thing. The definition of love encompasses dozens of expressions of affection with varying degrees of intensity. Love includes feelings ranging from mild affection to intense sexual desire. Because love encompasses such a broad range of emotion, and may be related to so many people, places and things, the definition of love is unusually broad.
The world "love" comes to us from the Middle English word luf, derived from the Old English word "lufu." This is akin to Old High German, "luba," and another Old English word, lēof, which means ‘dear’. Yet another word related to love, "lubere" or "libere," comes to us from the Romans. This Latin word means 'to please'. In all words related to the word love, roots relating to dear, pleasing, and cherished may be found, hinting at the deeper transcendent meaning of the modern word.
Most people think of the definition of love as a strong romantic attachment between two people, often intermingled with sexual desire and attraction. Throughout history, people defined love more broadly, encompassing many relationships. These forms of love and affection hold true today, although may not be the first definition that comes to mind when one hears the word. For example:
* Love among family members; familial love, or love based on kinship ties
* A mother’s love for her offspring
* Love of neighbor, based on the Christian teaching of expressing concern and charity for all people
* Love of country, or patriotism
* Love of God, or expressive love for a deity or deities
Nearly all religions and cultures use precise language to define love. Most languages use various words to express levels of emotion, kinship, or affection. Ancient Greek, for example, uses many words to define precise levels of emotion. “Agape” means love in modern day Greek, but in ancient times referred to a pure love without sexual connotations. “Eros” includes passionate love full of desire and longing. “Philia”, mentioned by Aristotle, meant a dispassionate, virtuous and unselfish love. “Xenia” includes hospitality, and refers to a type of love most would consider charity or giving.
Our modern language uses the word love almost too frequently. We say “I love you” to our spouses, but say “I love chocolate ice cream!” to a friend to express a much less intense feeling.
Some people define love not by a feeling, but by actions. In this definition, love isn’t what you say – it’s what you do. Love would then be a verb, expressed in unselfish actions and deeds.
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