*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of loof

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *leh₂p-der. Proto-Germanic *lōfô Old Norse lófibor. Middle English love English loof Inherited from Middle English love, lufe, lofe, luf (“palm of the hand”), from Old Norse lófi, from

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The palm of the hand. · The hand, especially, the hand outspread and upturned.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *leh₂p-der. Proto-Germanic *lōfô Old Norse lófibor. Middle English love English loof Inherited from Middle English love, lufe, lofe, luf (“palm of the hand”), from Old Norse lófi, from Proto-Germanic *lōfô (“palm of the hand; paw; oar blade, paddle”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionloveenm
  • Derivation mentionlófinon
  • Derivation mention*lōfôgem-pro · palm of the hand; paw; oar blade, paddle
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:love<id:palm>",
        "id": "palm",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *leh₂p-der.\nProto-Germanic *lōfô\nOld Norse lófibor.\nMiddle English love\nEnglish loof\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*leh₂p-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*lōfô\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"lófi\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"love\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"loof\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"palm\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"loof\" id=\"English:_palm\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "love",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "palm",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English love"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "love",
        "id": "palm"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English love"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "lófi"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse lófi"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*lōfô",
        "t": "palm of the hand; paw; oar blade, paddle"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *lōfô (“palm of the hand; paw; oar blade, paddle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:love<id:palm>",
        "id": "palm",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *leh₂p-der.\nProto-Germanic *lōfô\nOld Norse lófibor.\nMiddle English love\nEnglish loof"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*leh₂p-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leh₂p-"
    ],
    [
      "*lōfô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lōfô"
    ],
    [
      "lófi",
      "lófi#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "love",
      "love#Middle_English:_palm"
    ],
    [
      "love",
      "love#Middle_English:_palm"
    ],
    [
      "lufe",
      "lufe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lofe",
      "lofe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "luf",
      "luf#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lófi",
      "lófi#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*lōfô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lōfô"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The palm of the hand.",
        "The hand, especially, the hand outspread and upturned."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "9818f83c791e06d9a28a76fceed3547a2c2206e3debc37d4e43b199ab6dee711",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f5cd7d684b92d3136fc60395b4e123e5b1ae3134cd29d533485be35e2446b355",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 492257
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A contrivance (apparently a paddle or an oar) used for altering the course of a ship. · The after part of the bow of a ship where the sides begin to curve.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English lof (“a contrivance for altering a ship's course, paddle, oar”), from Middle Dutch loef (“an oar or paddle used in steering”), ultimately of the same origin as Etymology 1. Compare luff.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionlofenm
  • Inherited-form mentionlofenm · a contrivance for altering a ship's course, paddle, oar
  • Derivation mentionloefdum · an oar or paddle used in steering
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
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      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
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        "3": "lof",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a contrivance for altering a ship's course, paddle, oar",
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        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
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        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lof (“a contrivance for altering a ship's course, paddle, oar”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lof",
        "t": "a contrivance for altering a ship's course, paddle, oar"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English lof (“a contrivance for altering a ship's course, paddle, oar”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "loef",
        "t": "an oar or paddle used in steering"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch loef (“an oar or paddle used in steering”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lof",
      "lof#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "loef",
      "loef#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "luff",
      "luff#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A contrivance (apparently a paddle or an oar) used for altering the course of a ship.",
        "The after part of the bow of a ship where the sides begin to curve."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

The spongy fibers of the fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Luffa aegyptiaca).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Egyptian Arabic لُوف (lūf).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "arz",
        "3": "لُوف",
        "tr": "lūf"
      },
      "expansion": "Egyptian Arabic لُوف (lūf)"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ل ف ف"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "لُوف",
      "لوف#Egyptian_Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
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      "tags": [
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for loof →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bG9vZg