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loaf1

Pronunciation: /ləʊf/
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Definition of loaf

noun (plural loaves /ləʊvz/)

  • a quantity of bread that is shaped and baked in one piece and usually sliced before being eaten:a loaf of bread a granary loaf
  • an item of food formed into an oblong shape and sliced into portions.

Phrases

half a loaf is better than no bread

proverb it is better to accept less than one wants or expects than to have nothing at all.

use one's loaf

British informal use one’s common sense.
[probably from loaf of bread, rhyming slang for 'head']

Origin:

Old English hlāf, of Germanic origin; related to German Laib

Spelling rule

Change the -f to -ves to make the plurals of nouns that end in a consonant or a vowel plus -f or -fe: (loaves).

loaf in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of loaf in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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