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lave

Pronunciation: /leɪv/

The English word “lave” has 16 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To bathe or wash (someone or something).
  2. Of a river or other water body: to flow along or past (a place or thing); to wash.
  3. Followed by into, on, or upon: to pour (water or some other liquid) with or as if with a ladle into or on someone or something; to lade, to ladle.
  4. To remove (something), as if by washing away with water.
  5. To surround or gently touch (someone or something), as if with water.
  6. Chiefly in sexual contexts: to lick (someone or something).
  7. Followed by out or up: to draw or scoop (water) out of something with a bucket, scoop, etc.; specifically, to bail (water) out of a boat.
  8. To bathe or wash.
  9. To surround as if with water.
  10. Chiefly in sexual contexts; followed by at: to lick.
  11. Of ears: to droop, to hang down.

noun

  1. An act of bathing or washing; a bath or bathe, a wash.
  2. The sea.
  3. That which is left over; a remainder, a remnant, the rest.
  4. A relict, a widow.

adjective

  1. Chiefly in lave ears: of ears: drooping, hanging down.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English laven (“to bathe, wash; to bail or draw water, drain, exhaust; to dampen, wet; to pour; of water, etc.: to flow, stream”), and then partly: * from Old French laver (“to be washed; to wash”) (modern French laver (“to wash (oneself)”)), from Latin lavāre, the present active infinitive of lavō (“to bathe, wash; to dampen, wet”), ultimately from…

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