a. Now arch. or dial. Forms: 1–6 lufsum, 3 luffsumm, 3–5 lussum, 3 luvesum, 4 luffsum, lufsoum, lufsome, lussom, lossum, lossom, loovesum, 4–5 lofsom, lufsom, lovesum, 4–6 lovesom, 6 loveseme, lusum, ? luxom(e, lufesum, lufesome, Sc. luifsum, 5– lovesome. [OE. lufsum, f. luf-u LOVE sb.: see -SOME. (The contracted forms lussom, lossom, -um, seem to occur only in sense 2.)]
1. Worthy of love; having qualities that inspire love; lovable.
a. 1000. Crist, 913 (Gr.). Lufsum and liþe leofum monnum to sceawianne þone scynan wlite.
c. 1200. Ormin, 3583. Daviþess name … itt uss tacneþþ stang wiþþ hannd, & luffsumm onn to lokenn.
a. 1225. Juliana, 13. Ihesu crist … þat ich on leue & luuie as leoflukest & lufsumest lauerd.
c. 1325. Deo Gratias, 29, in E. E. P. (1862), 125. A louesum buirde he lihte with-Inne Þe worþiest þat euer was.
c. 1430. Hymns Virg., 29. Hise louesum lijf þat alle men siȝe[n], Ful myldeli he out gan lete.
1570. Satir. Poems Reform., xv. 33. Thow luifsum Lark & gay Goldspink,… Lat be ȝour heuinly noitis.
1676. Etheredge, Man of Mode, III. iii. Wild, witty, lovesome, beautiful and young.
1899. Swinburne, Rosamund, III. 60. I know not Aught lovesome save the sweet brief death of sleep.
2. Lovable on account of beauty; lovely, beautiful.
a. 1225. St. Marher., 3. Ant wel hire schal iwurthen for hire lussum leor.
a. 1240. Wohunge, in Cott. Hom., 269. Þu art lufsum on leor, þu art al schene.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 604. A luuesum land at lenger in.
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., 26. Hire rode is ase rose that red is on rys, With lilye-white leres lossum he is. Ibid., 51. A burde of blod ant of bon Never ȝete y nuste non lussomore in londe.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 2816. Ysonde haue þere he wald Luffsum vnder line.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, V. 465. O lufsom lady bryght, How haue ye faren syn þat ye were þere?
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., 344 (Douce MS.). A lady, lufsom of lote, ledand a kniȝte.
c. 1450. St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 1215. He saw … Com fra heuen a lufsom lyght.
15[?]. in Dunbar’s Poems (1893), 326. Fair lufsum lady, gentill and discret.
1820. Scott, Monast., xiv. The handsomest, the very lovesomest young man I ever saw with sight.
1842. Tennyson, Beggar Maid, 12. One praised her ancles, one her eyes, One her dark hair and lovesome mien.
1868. Morris, Earthly Par., II. 323. He heard a sudden lovesome song begun.
absol. 13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1814. ‘Nay …’ Quod þat lufsum vnder lyne.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 398. Þen sayde þat lufsoum of lyth & lere [etc.].
3. Loving, friendly.
c. 1200. Ormin, 1547. Aʓʓ to follʓhenn soþ meocleʓʓc Wiþþ luffsumm æddmodnesse.
1566. Drant, Horace’s Sat., I. ii. B b. But they, the sillye fonded fooles,… Do feaste him, for his louesom loue.
1868. Browning, Ring & Bk., VIII. 20. Won’t we hold Our little yearly lovesome frolic feast.
1901. H. C. Welch, Anselm, iii. 48. This increasing influence was due to the happy lovesome temper which plays through his letters.
4. Amorous.
1720. Mrs. Manley, Power of Love (1741), 150. Caton, who being naturally Lovesome, put herself in his way at every opportunity, so that he could not help saying soft things to her.
1844. Kinglake, Eöthen, vii. (1878), 92. Shrubs that twined their arms together in lovesome tangles.
1883. Longm. Mag., Sept., 533. While lovesome and moansome thereon spake and falter’d the dove to the dove.
Hence † Lovesomehead = LOVESOMENESS.
a. 1300–1400. Cursor M., 5792 (Gött.). I sal þaim bring fra þat thralhede, And into a land of lufsum-hede.
