glove

From Middle English glove, glofe, from Old English glōf, *glōfe, *glōfa, ("glove"; weak forms attested only in plural form glōfan (“gloves”)), from Proto-Germanic *galōfô (“glove”), from Proto-Germanic *ga- (“collective and associative prefix”) + Proto-Germanic *lōfô (“flat of the hand, palm”), from Proto-Indo-European *lāp-, *lēp-, *lep- (“flat”). Cognate with Scots gluve, gluive (“glove”), Icelandic glófi (“glove”). Related to Middle English lofe, lufe (“palm of the hand”). More at loof.

• enPR: glŭv, IPA^(key): /ɡlʌv/

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• Rhymes: -ʌv

glove (plural gloves)

1. An item of clothing other than a mitten, covering all or part of the hand and fingers, but usually allowing independent movement of the fingers.

   I wore gloves to keep my hands warm.

   The boxing champ laced on his gloves before the big bout.

2. A baseball mitt.
3. (baseball, figuratively) The ability to catch a hit ball.

   Frederico had a great glove, but he couldn't hit a curveball, so he never broke into the pros.

4. (slang) A condom.
5. (with definite article) A challenge from one to another.

   to throw down the glove, i.e. to offer a challenge; to take up the glove, to accept it

glove (third-person singular simple present gloves, present participle gloving, simple past and past participle gloved)

1. (baseball, transitive) To catch the ball in a baseball mitt.

   He gloved the line drive for the third out.

2. (transitive) To put a glove or gloves on.

   Maxwell gloved his hand so that he wouldn't leave fingerprints, then pulled the trigger.

   • 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

     After the maids had hatted and gloved the girls, the carriage was summoned and I was carted around one church after another.

3. (cricket) To touch a delivery with one's glove while the gloved hand is on the bat. Under the rules of cricket, the batsman is deemed to have hit the ball.

• cot
• gauntlet
• handshoe
• mitten
• mitt

• Vogel, vogle, volge