lave
To bathe or washTo bathe or wash (someone or something).
Meaning
11 senses(transitive)To bathe or wash (someone or something).
wash one's face and hands
(transitive)Of a river or other water body: to flow along or past (a place or thing); to wash.
wash or flow against
(transitive)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.
(figuratively, transitive)To remove (something), as if by washing away with water.
(figuratively, transitive)To surround or gently touch (someone or something), as if with water.
(figuratively, transitive)Chiefly in sexual contexts: to lick (someone or something).
(intransitive, reflexive)To bathe or wash.
(figuratively, intransitive)To surround as if with water.
cleanse (one's body) with soap and water
(figuratively, intransitive)Chiefly in sexual contexts; followed by at: to lick.
(archaic, obsolete, transitive)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.
(intransitive, obsolete, rare)Of ears: to droop, to hang down.
Origin
The verb is derived from Middle English laven (“to bathe, wash; to bail or draw water, draThe 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:
The adjective is from Middle English lave (“of the ears: drooping, hanging down”), from Old Norse lafa, from Proto-Germanic *labēn- (“to dangle”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang down loosely (?)”).
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Forms
laves, laving, laved, lavedSynonyms
3 synonymsWord family
17 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle