Loving One Another
With definitions of love, this index introduces many articles on love, romance, intimacy and the mystery of love.
The first definition of "love," according to The American Heritage College Dictionary, is "A deep, tender feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship or a sense of oneness." Then, after ten more variations on the theme, the dictionary lists several synonyms that "denote feelings of warm personal attachment or strong attraction to another person" — love, affection, devotion, fondness, infatuation — and describes how they compare.
Love is the most intense: married for love. Affection is a less ardent and more unvarying feeling of tender regard: parental affection. Devotion is earnest, affectionate dedication and implies selflessness: A leader who inspires devotion. Fondness is strong liking or affection: evinces a fondness for the small animals. Infatuation is foolish or extravagant attraction, often of short duration: Their infatuation blinded them to their differences.
A precise meaning of love may not be possible, although the writers of dictionaries certainly try their best. However, it is possible to list the characteristics of love, of which there are many. We offer some (and will add others in the future) in this section, although we don't bother trying to present them in order of importance because has many facets.
We hope in these articles to help you expand your understanding of love, whether it is for a partner, child, parents, siblings, other family members, friends, or the people with whom you work. |
