Love ♥

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love (lŭv), loved, lov·ing.
-n.
1. the profoundly tender or passionate affection for a person of the opposite sex.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire, or its gratification.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like) : Would you like to see a movie, love?
6. a love affair; amour.
7. (cap.) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
8. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: a love of little children; the love of one's neighbor.
9. strong predilection or liking for anything: her love of books.
10. the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
11. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
12. Chiefly tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
13. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.
14. for love, a. out of affection or liking; for pleasure. b. without compensation; gratuitously : He took care of the poor for love.
15. for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise.
16. in love (with), feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.) ; enamored of : in love with life; in love with one's work.
17. make love, a. to embrace and kiss as lovers. b. to engage in sexual intercourse.
18. no love lost, dislike ; animosity : There was no love lost between the two brothers. [ME ; OE lufu; c. OFris luve, OHG luba, Goth lubō]
-v.t. 19. to have love or affection for: All her pupils love her.
20. to have a profoundly tender or passionate affection for (a person of the opposite sex).
21. to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music; She loves to go dancing.
22. to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
23. to make love to; have sexual intercourse with.
-v.i. 24. to have love or affection, esp. for one of the opposite sex. [ME lov(i)en, OE lufian; c. OFris luvia, OHG to love, L lubére (later libére) to please; akin to LIEF]
-Syn.
1. tenderness, fondness, predilection, warmth, passion, adoration. 1, 2. LOVE, AFFECTION, DEVOTION all mean a deep and enduring emotional regard, usually for another person. Love may apply to various kinds of regard: the charity of the Creator, reverent adoration toward God or toward a person, the relation of parent and child, the regard of friends for each other, romantic feelings for one of the opposite sex, etc. AFFECTION is a fondness for persons of either sex, that is enduring and tender, but calm. DEVOTION is an intense love and steadfast, enduring loyalty to a person; it may also imply consecration to a cause. 2. liking, inclination, regard, friendliness. 19. like. 20. adore, adulate, worship.
-Ant. 1, 2. hatred, dislike. 19, 20. detest, hate.


Quotes :

"Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by the removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder. This disease, like caries and many other ailments, is prevalent only among civilized races living under artificial conditions; barbarous nations breathing pure air and eating simple food enjoy immunity from its ravages. It is sometimes fatal, but more frequently to the physician than to the patient". - Ambrose Bierce in The Devil's Dictionary

"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived". - William Parrish, from the movie Meet Joe Black

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love". - Mother Teresa

(image credit: cyworld korea)

(note: meaning taken from Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary)
(credit: Wikiquote for the quotes)