# loaf

> English word · Noun · IPA /ləʊf/ · frequency rank #15,210

## Definitions
1. A block of bread after baking.
2. Any solid block of food, such as meat or sugar.
3. Ellipsis of loaf of bread: the brain or the head.
4. A solid block of soap, from which standard bar soap is cut.
5. A particular still life configuration with seven living cells.
6. A catloaf.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz
Proto-West Germanic *hlaib
Old English hlāf
Middle English lof
English loaf
* From Middle English laf, lof, loof, from Old English hlāf (“bread; loaf”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlaib, from Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz (“bread; loaf”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Old English hlifian (“to stand out prominently, tower up”).
Cognates
Cognate with German Laib (“loaf”), Danish and Swedish lev (“loaf”), Faroese leivur (“an oblong bun”), Icelandic hleifur (“loaf”), Norwegian Nynorsk leiv (“loaf”), Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐍃 (hlaibs), 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃 (hlaifs, “bread”) (whence Proto-Slavic *xlěbъ (“bread”) (see there for further descendants)), Estonian leib (“black bread”), Finnish leipä (“bread; loaf”); also Latvian klaips (“loaf”), Lithuanian kliẽpas (“loaf”). Doublet of chleb and khleb.
* (brain or head): Rhyming slang, ellipsis of loaf of bread.

## Easily confused with
- **lot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lot)
- **low** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-low)
- **lol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lol)
- **los** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-los)
- **log** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-log)
- **Lou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lou)
- **loo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-loo)
- **LOC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-loc)
- **Lon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lon)
- **lob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lob)
- **lor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lor)
- **lop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lop)
- **Lua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lua)
- **Lod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lod)
- **lox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-lox)
- **loy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-loy)
- **Loh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-loh)
- **love** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-love)
- **long** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-long)
- **look** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loaf-vs-look)

## Common misspellings (4)
`laof`, `lloaf`, `loaff`, `lofa`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/loaf