lufian

Middle English

Verb

lufian

1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of loven (“to love”)

Old English

Alternative forms

• lufiġean

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *lubōn, derived from the noun *lubu (“love”). Equivalent to lufu +‎ -ian. Cognate with Old Frisian luvia, Old High German lubōn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlu.fi.ɑn/, [ˈlu.vi.ɑn]

Verb

lufian

1. to love

   Ġif þū wille bēon ġelufod, lufa.

   If you want to be loved, love.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Agnes, Virgin"

     He gesette his tacn on minum nebbe þæt ic nænne oðerne ofer hine ne lufige.

     He hath set His token upon my face that I should love none other beside Him.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Second Sunday After Easter"

     Sē Hǣlend cwæþ be him, "Iċ eom gōd hierde, and iċ oncnāwe mīn sċēap, and hīe oncnāwaþ mē." Þæt is, "Iċ lufiġe hīe, and hīe lufiaþ mē."

     Jesus said about himself, "I'm a good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and they know me." In other words, "I love them, and they love me."

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 6:5

     Þonne ġē ēow ġebidden, ne bēoþ ġē swelċe līċetteras. Þā lufiaþ þæt hīe ġebidden hīe standende on ġesamnungum and strǣta hyrnum þæt menn hīe ġesēon.

     When you pray, don't be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in synagogues and on street corners for people to see them.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 23:7

     Hīe lufiaþ þæt hīe man grēte on strǣtum and þæt menn hīe lārēowas nemnen.

     They love being greeted on the streets and people calling them teacher.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, John 21:17

     Þā wæs Petrus sāriġ for þām þe hē cwæþ þriddan sīðe tō him, "Lufast þū me?" And hē cwæþ tō him, "Dryhten, þū wāst eall þing; þū wāst þæt iċ þē lufiġe."

     Peter felt hurt because he asked him a third time, "Do you love me?" And he told him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

   • c. 1021, Wulfstan, Winchester Code of Cnut, article 5.1:

     Hǣðensċipe biþ þæt man dēofolġield weorðiġe, þæt is þæt man weorðiġe hǣðenu godu and sunnan oþþe mōnan, fȳr oþþe flōd, wæterwiellas oþþe stānas oþþe ǣniġes cynnes wudutreowu, oþþe wiċċecræft lufiġe oþþe morðweorc ġefremme on ǣniġe wīsan, oþþe on blōte oþþe frihte, oþþe swelcra gedwimera ǣniġ þing drēoge.

     Worshiping idols is a kind of paganism, whether one worships heathen gods and the sun or the moon, or fire or flood, or wells or stones or any kind of forest trees, or if one loves witchcraft or commits murder in any way, either by sacrifice or by divination, or takes any part in similar delusions.

   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies

     ...ac ic āhsige ðē nū gȳt for hwig þū þā frēond lufige swīðe, oððe hwæt þū on hym lufige, oððē hwæðer ðū hī for heomselfum lufige, þe for sumum ōðrum þingum.

     ...but yet I ask thee now why thou lovest thy friends so much, or what thou lovest in them or whether thou lovest them for their own sake or for some other thing.

Conjugation

Conjugation of lufian (weak class 2)

infinitive	lufian	lufienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	lufiġe	lufode
second person singular	lufast	lufodest
third person singular	lufaþ	lufode
plural	lufiaþ	lufodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	lufiġe	lufode
plural	lufiġen	lufoden
imperative
singular	lufa
plural	lufiaþ
participle	present	past
	lufiende	(ġe)lufod

Derived terms

• ġelufian
• lufiend

Descendants

• Middle English: loven, lofe, love, lovye, lovyen, lowen, lufe, lufen, luffe, luve; loviȝe, lovin, lufian, lufiæn, lufiȝe, lufiȝen, luvan, luven, luvie, luvien, luviȝe, luviȝen, luvyen; lufenn
  • English: love
  • Scots: luve