What does lave mean?
Lave is an uncommon verb meaning to wash or bathe, especially to wash oneself in water. In older and more formal writing, it may also refer to washing or moistening another person, particularly a hand or foot. The word appears in religious and literary language, including expressions connected with ceremonial washing, and its slightly grand or archaic character often conveys solemnity rather than ordinary domestic activity. Although it was once a general word for washing, modern speakers normally use “wash” or “bathe” instead. Lave is nevertheless useful in historical texts, poetry, and passages that deliberately evoke older or elevated prose. Its Latin ancestry also connects it with words such as “lavatory” and “lavation,” although its current survival is mainly as a literary or archaic survival rather than a common household verb.
To wash or bathe oneself, especially in water.
"She laved in the river before breakfast."
Chiefly archaic or literary; usually an intransitive use.
To wash or moisten a person or part of the body.
"He laved the child's hands with warm water."
Now chiefly literary, religious, or archaic, often suggesting a solemn or ceremonial act.
Once an ordinary word for washing, “lave” survives mainly in solemn, biblical, and deliberately archaic language.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lave come from?
The word comes through Old English from Latin lavāre, meaning “to wash” or “to bathe.” The Latin verb belongs to a family of words connected with washing that also underlies English forms such as “lavatory,” “lavation,” and “lotion.” After being common in Middle English, it gradually became restricted to elevated, religious, and archaic contexts.
How lave is actually used
Now chiefly archaic or literary. In modern English, “wash” and “bathe” are usual, though “lave” can convey ritual, solemnity, or an elevated style.