Lave is a simple, monosyllabic word that magically makes the mundane act of washing poetic. Shakespeare used it in The Taming of the Shrew when Gremio assured the father of his beloved …

LAVE definition: (of ears) large and drooping. See examples of lave used in a sentence.

Definition of 'lave' lave in British English (leɪv ) verb an archaic word for wash

Nov 1, 2025 · lave (plural laves) (archaic except literary, poetic) An act of bathing or washing; a bath or bathe, a wash. quotations

lave (leɪv) vb an archaic word for wash [Old English lafian, perhaps from Latin lavāre to wash]

Lave definition: To wash; bathe.

There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb lave, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

"Lave" derives from Old English and Old Norse roots, both tied to washing. This lineage tells a story of shared cultural practices around hygiene and water’s role in daily life.

From Middle English lave, laif, lafe ("remainder, rest, that which is left"), from Old English lāf ("lave, remainder, rest"), from Proto-Germanic *laibō (“remainder”), from Proto-Indo-European *lip- (“to stick, …

Lave is a verb that means to wash or bathe oneself or another object. It can also refer to the process of flowing or washing against, commonly used to describe how water interacts with a shore or riverbank.