Forms: 2–3 biluuien, biluuen, bilouen, 3 bileouen, bilufen, 4–5 bi-, bylove, 6 beloue, Sc. beluve, 5– belove. [ME. biluven, -loven, f. bi-, BE- 2 + luven, loven to LOVE. Cf. mod.G. belieben and Du. believen, both usually impersonal.]
1. intr. To please, be pleasing (to a person).
c. 1205. Lay., 989. Ȝif hit eow biloueð … fare we from þisse londe.
a. 1225. Juliana, 24. Ȝef me sua biluuede hit were sone.
a. 1240. Sawles Warde, in Cott. Hom., 259. Wel us biluueð hit.
† 2. trans. To be pleased with, approve, like. Obs.
c. 1205. Lay., 1013. Alle hit bi-luueden. Ibid., 19121. Al þat leodliche folc bilufde þesne ilke ræd.
3. To love. Now only in passive. Const. with (obs.), of (arch., poet.), by.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. III. 211. Mede maketh hym bi-loued.
1481. Caxton, Reynard (Arb.), 118. The money is better byloued than God.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 521. Quhilk with the king all tyme wes best belude.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., I. i. 104. I am belou’d of beauteous Hermia.
1604. T. Wright, Passions, V. § 4. 212. Those persons cannot but bee accounted hard hearted … who belove not them of whom they are loved.
1623. Wodroephe, Marrow Fr. Tongue, 322. I would wear it about my neck for a certain testimony that I belove it much.
1818. Byron, Mazeppa, vii. I loved, and was beloved again.
1825. Southey, Paraguay, ii. 10. Beloving and beloved she grew, a happy child.
1871. R. Ellis, Catullus, viii. 5. By me belov’d as maiden is belov’d no more.
