loaf

(lōf)
n., pl., loaves (lōvz).

1. A shaped mass of bread baked in one piece.
2. A shaped, usually rounded or oblong, mass of food: veal loaf.

[Middle English lof, from Old English hlāf.]

WORD HISTORY   Loaf, lord, and lady are closely related words that testify to bread's fundamental importance in the Middle Ages. Curiously, though bread was a staple food in many Indo-European cultures, loaf and its cognates occur only in the Germanic languages, and lord and lady only in English. Loaf derives from Old English hlāf, "bread, loaf of bread," related to Gothic hlaifs, Old Norse hleifr, and Modern German Laib, all of which mean "loaf of bread." Hlāf survives in Lammas, originally Hlāfmaesse, "Loaf-Mass," the Christian Feast of the First Fruits, traditionally celebrated on August 1. A lord, Old English hlāford, was a compound meaning "loaf-ward, keeper of bread," because a lord maintains and feeds his household and offers hospitality. Similarly, lady derives from Old English hlǣfdige, which became lady by 1382. The -dige comes from dæge, "kneader," and is related to our dough. A lady, therefore, is "a kneader of bread, a breadmaker." Lord and lady both retain vestiges of their original meanings, although England's aristocrats have not been elbow deep in flour, let alone dough, for several centuries.

loaf² (lōf)
intr.v., loafed, loaf·ing, loafs.
To pass time at leisure; idle.

[Probably back-formation from LOAFER.]

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verb

To pass time without working or in avoiding work: bum¹ (around), idle, laze, loiter, lounge, shirk. Slang diddle², goldbrick, goof (off). See industrious/lazy.

v

Definition: be idle, lazy
Antonyms: achieve, do, energize, labor, toil, work, work hard

Origin: 1835

No, this is not the loaf of bread, the staff of life that has been with the English language from the beginning. Our distinctive American contribution is the loaf that does nothing. It took true American genius to invent a new way of passing the time: loafing.

A Philadelphia newspaper declared in 1835, "The propensity to loaf is confined to no rank in life." While workers accused of shirking their duties are often said to loaf, the term can just as easily be applied to those of the leisure class who laze about. So in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), loaf is used to critical effect, for while slaves are confined on the lower deck of a steamboat, the horror of their fate is heightened by the fact that above them "all went on merrily, as before. Men talked, and loafed, and read, and smoked. Women sewed, and children played, and the boat passed on her way."

And an American genius, Walt Whitman, celebrated loafing in Leaves of Grass (1855):

The related word loafer is even earlier, attested in Utica, New York, in 1830 and New York City in 1835, as well as New Orleans in 1839. Loafer in turn comes from land loper (1785), later land loafer (1836), also meaning "an idle person." It is probably related to German Landläufer, meaning "one who runs along the land."

It is time to loaf a little and bring this entry to a close.

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• Artist: moe.
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1996 02
• Total Time: 62:58
• Type: Live
• Genre: Rock

Review

Despite the muffled sound, Moe's self-released live album Loaf (1996) is a heartily exciting listen, capturing the young band on the verge of busting out of both their home club, New York's Wetlands Preserve, as well as onto the rapidly developing Northeastern jam band scene. It is evident in their young voices, as they sing through rough around the edges renditions of their early live staples. It is evident in their playing, which is brazenly adventurous, especially compared to the polished rock show they would develop in several years. Behind the drum kit is drummer number three, Mike Strazza, making his only appearance on an official Moe recording. His drumming is admirably precise and filled with quick, clean fills (such as on "Buster"); a baby version of Jeff Sipe of the Aquarium Rescue Unit. In a year, four of the six songs would be tightened up and re-recorded in the studio with producer John Porter for No Doy, their major-label debut on Sony/550. While No Doy captures fully realized versions of the songs, Loaf is far more interesting, if only because jam band music has never about fully realized versions of songs. Listening to the band make its way through "Meat" on Loaf, one hears a band playing music that screams in dozens of directions. This is the sound of a band with time to pursue them all. ~ Jesse Jarnow, Rovi

Previous:	Loadstar (1993 Album by Superball 63)
Next:	Loaf of Bread (Album by Mutti Lewis)

IN BRIEF: More than one portion of bread or other food baked in one piece, usually oblong in shape.

If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed my soul. — Muhammad (570-632

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as in: loaf of bread
sign description: Both C hands begin together and move away from each other.

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For a list of words related to loaf, see:

• Mood and Intent - loaf: lounge lazily or idly

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Loaf.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - brød

2.
v. intr. - drive, dovne, drysse, drive den af

Nederlands (Dutch)
een brood, (eten bereid in) broodvorm, kop, lanterfanten, rondslenteren

Français (French)
1.
n. - pain, miche

2.
v. intr. - traînasser, flâner

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Brot, Frikadelle, Kopf

2.
v. - herumhängen, trödeln

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - καρβέλι ή φραντζόλα, (καθομ.) γκλάβα, κούτρα
v. - τεμπελιάζω, χαζολογάω, κοπροσκυλιάζω, σουλατσάρω

Italiano (Italian)
bighellonare, pagnotta

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pão (m), forma (f)
v. - vagabundar

Русский (Russian)
буханка (хлеба), хлеб, кочан, праздность, образовывать кочан, бездельничать

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - hogaza, pan, barra

2.
v. intr. - haraganear, gandulear

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - limpa, bulle, bröd, huvud (av kål, sallad), (sl.) knopp, skalle, rot
v. - stå och hänga, slå dank, (sitta och) slöa, släntra, gå och driva (dra), driva (loda, strosa) omkring, (om kål o.d.) knyta sig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 面包, 头脑, 脑袋, 圆锥形糖块, 长方形糕状菜肴

2. 游荡, 闲逛, 懒散地工作

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
v. intr. - 遊蕩, 閒逛, 懶散地工作

2.
n. - 麵包, 頭腦, 腦袋, 圓錐形糖塊, 長方形糕狀菜肴

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 덩어리, 빵, 둥근 통, 머리

2.
v. intr. - 놀고 지내다, 빈둥거리다, 신세를 지면서 빈둥거리다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - パンの一塊, ローフ, 知能, 棒砂糖
v. - らくらする, ぶらつく, のらくらして暮らす

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رغيف من الخبز, شوكولاته مخروطيه من السكر, لحم أو سمك مخبوز كرغيف (فعل) يتسكع, يضيع الوقت في التبطل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כיכר לחם, ראש, שכל, גוש של מיצרך מסוים (בשר וכו')‬
v. intr. - ‮התמזמז, התבטל‬

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