An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Lob

by Friedrich Kluge

Lob, neuter, ‘praise,’ from Middle High German lop (b), Old High German lob, neuter and masculine, ‘praise, reward, glorification’; corresponding to Dutch lof, Anglo-Saxon lof, masculine, ‘praise, fame’; Old Icelandic lof. neuter, ‘fame, reward, praise, laudatory poem,’ also ‘permission,’ points to the similarity of the roots of loben and erlauben (compare Middle High German urloup and urlop, ‘permission’). The old gradation lub-liub-laub comprises Modern High German Lob, lieb, glauben, and erlauben; in Anglo-Saxon, lufu (equivalent to English love) is the weakest form of the root with the meaning corresponding to High German lieb (Gothic liufs), Under lieb the primary sense of the Aryan root leubh (Sanscrit lubh, Latin lubet, lubido) is assumed to be ‘inclination’; in meaning, Lithuanian liaupsě, ‘hymn,’ láupsinti, ‘to extol,’ are the most closely allied. With regard to the gradation, it is also noteworthy that Middle High German and Modern High German loben, Old High German lobôn, lobên, verb, Anglo-Saxon lofian, verb, ‘to praise,’ are represented in Old Icelandic by lofa, verb, ‘to praise, commend, permit,’ and that Old Icelandic leyfa (from *laubjan) has also the same double sense. — Modern High German and Middle High German lobesam, adjective, ‘laudable,’ Old High German lobosam, Anglo-Saxon lofsum; Gothic galufs, galaufs, ‘precious,’ literally ‘having praise,’ so too Old High German glob, ‘precious.’