loaf

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a quantity of food, other than bread, formed in a particular shape

   I made a delicious meat loaf for my family.

2. 2
   noun

   a shaped mass of baked bread that is usually sliced before eating

   I bought a loaf from the bakery.

3. 3
   verb

   to be about

   I didn't want to leave, so I loafed for a while.

4. 4
   verb

   to be lazy or idle

   I loafed around all day.

5. 5
   noun

   A block of bread after baking.

   Philander went into the next room[…]and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm. Then he put the coffee pot on the stove and rummaged out a loaf of dry bread and some hardtack.

6. 6
   noun

   Any solid block of food, such as meat or sugar.

   sugar-loaf

7. 7
   noun

   Ellipsis of loaf of bread: the brain or the head.

   use one's loaf

8. 8
   noun

   A particular still life configuration with seven living cells.

   It runs for 17331 generations before stabilizing as 136 blinkers, 109 blocks, 65 beehives, 18 loaves, 18 boats, 7 ships, 4 tubs, 3 ponds, 2 toads, and 40 gliders.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz Proto-West Germanic *hlaib Old English hlāf Middle English lof English loaf * 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”). Cognates 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…