Etymology
1. O.E.
hlaf "bread, loaf," from P.Gmc.
*khlaibuz (cf. O.N.
hleifr, Swed.
lev, Ger.
Laib, Goth.
hlaifs), of uncertain origin, perhaps connected to O.E.
hlifian "to raise higher, tower," on the notion of the bread rising as it bakes, but it is unclear whether "loaf" or "bread" is the original sense. O.C.S.
chlebu, Finn.
leipä, Lith.
klepas probably are Gmc. loan words. Meaning "chopped meat shaped like a bread loaf" is attested from 1787.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-der.?
4. Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz
5. Proto-West Germanic *hlaib
6. Old English hlāf
7. Middle English lof
8. English loaf
9. * From Middle English laf, lof, loof, from Old English hlāf (“bread; loaf”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlaib, from Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz (“bread; loaf”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Old English hlifian (“to stand out prominently, tower up”).
10. Cognates
11. Cognate with German Laib (“loaf”), Danish and Swedish lev (“loaf”), Faroese leivur (“an oblong bun”), Icelandic hleifur (“loaf”), Norwegian Nynorsk leiv (“loaf”), Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐍃 (hlaibs), 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃 (hlaifs, “bread”) (whence Proto-Slavic *xlěbъ (“bread”) (see there for further descendants)), Estonian leib (“black bread”), Finnish leipä (“bread; loaf”); also Latvian klaips (“loaf”), Lithuanian kliẽpas (“loaf”). Doublet of chleb and khleb.
12. * (brain or head): Rhyming slang, ellipsis of loaf of bread. See: Old English '
hlifian'.
Verbs referencing "loaf"
Swedish
luffa, Norwegian, nynorsk
loffe.