Meanings
loaf1
plural loaves
- also loaf of breadA block of bread after baking.
Philander went into the next room[…]and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm. Then he put the coffee pot on the stove and rummaged out a loaf of dry bread and some hardtack.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC - CockneyabbreviationellipsisslangEllipsis of loaf of bread: the brain or the head.
use one's loaf
1 more example
It is frequently said of Bertram Wooster that he is a man who can think on his feet, and if the necessity arises he can also use his loaf when on all fours. [...] “Why didn't the idiot tell her not to open it?” “It was his first move. ‘I've found a letter from you here, precious,’ she said. ‘On no account open it, angel,’ he said. So of course she opened it.” She pursed the lips, nodded the loaf, and ate a moody piece of crumpet. “So that's why he's been going about looking like a dead fish.”
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “VIII AND XII”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLCSynonyms: bonce, noddle, nut, bean, beaner, belfry, block, bonce
- cellular automataA particular still life configuration with seven living cells.
I am looking for the smallest ancestor of the following four loaf pattern in Conway's Game of Life:
1998 January 27, Ian Osgood, “Life: looking for smallest ancestor of a quad-loaf”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)2 more examples
It runs for 17331 generations before stabilizing as 136 blinkers, 109 blocks, 65 beehives, 18 loaves, 18 boats, 7 ships, 4 tubs, 3 ponds, 2 toads, and 40 gliders.
1989 November 20, Dean Hickerson, “Life: glider gun origin”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)Running a LWSS into it can produce various debris. One of these reactions produces a loaf. When the loaf is properly hit with other LWSSs, it can be pulled backwards.
1992 September 10, David Bell, “Spaceships in Conway's Life (Part 3b)”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet) - informalslangA catloaf.
present singular third person loafs · participle present loafing · participle past loafed · past loafed
- CockneyslangTo headbutt
loaf2
present singular third person loafs · participle present loafing · participle past loafed · past loafed
- intransitiveTo do nothing, to be idle.
loaf about, loaf around
1 more example
2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)https://web.archive.org/web/20151213095110/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/vultures-text They don’t (often) kill other animals, they probably form monogamous pairs, and we know they share parental care of chicks, and loaf and bathe in large, congenial groups.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEllipsis of loaf of bread: the brain or the head.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna shaped mass of baked bread that is usually sliced before eating
verbbe lazy or idle
verbbe about a place without any apparent purpose
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
loaf · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷel-der.?
- Proto-Germanic*hlaibaz
- Proto-West Germanic*hlaib
- Old Englishhlāf
- Middle Englishlof
- Englishloaf
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἄρτος, ῥαθυμέω
- ἄρτος (ártos)block of bread
- ῥαθυμέω (rhathuméō)do nothing
Arabic رَغِيف
- رَغِيف (raḡīf)block of bread
Bulgarian самун, хляб
- самун (samun)block of bread
- хляб (hljab)block of bread
- безделнича (bezdelniča)do nothing
Catalan fogassa, testa
- fogassablock of bread
- testahead (slang)
- barralarge block of soap
- gandulejardo nothing
Chinese Mandarin 一條麵包 /一条面包
- 一條麵包 /一条面包 (yī tiáo miànbāo)block of bread
Czech bochník, pecen
- bochníkblock of bread
- pecenblock of bread
- zaháletdo nothing
Dutch brood, niksen
- broodblock of bread
- niksendo nothing
- rondlummelendo nothing
Estonian päts, päts
- pätsblock of bread
- pätsblock of food
- lattblock of food
- kupphead (slang)
- kaalikashead (slang)
- nupphead (slang)
- logelemado nothing
- laisklemado nothing
- vedelemado nothing
Finnish leipä, limppu
- leipäblock of bread
- limppublock of bread
- murekeblock of food
- toppablock of food
- kimpaleblock of food
- pollahead (slang)
- tankolarge block of soap
- maleksiado nothing
French baguette, miche
- baguetteblock of bread
- micheblock of bread
- painblock of bread
- savonnettelarge block of soap
- paresserdo nothing
German Laib, Laib Brot
- Laibblock of bread
- Laib Brotblock of bread
- Brotblock of bread
- nichts tundo nothing
- herumlungerndo nothing
- rumhängendo nothing
- faulenzendo nothing
Greek καρβέλι, φρατζόλα
- καρβέλι (karvéli)block of bread
- φρατζόλα (fratzóla)block of bread
- τεμπελιάζω (tempeliázo)do nothing
- κοπροσκυλιάζω (koproskyliázo)do nothing
- λουφάρω (loufáro)do nothing
Hawaiian pōpō
- pōpōblock of bread
Hebrew כיכר
- כיכר (kikár)block of bread
Hungarian kenyér
- kenyérblock of bread
Icelandic hleifur, brauð
- hleifurblock of bread
- brauðblock of bread
- hleifurblock of food
- slórado nothing
Irish bairín, bollóg
- bairínblock of bread
- bollógblock of bread
- builínblock of bread
- bheith ag leadaíocht (thart)do nothing
Italian pagnotta, pan carrè
- pagnottablock of bread
- pan carrèblock of bread
- pane in cassettablock of bread
- capocciahead (slang)
- panettolarge block of soap
- oziaredo nothing
- bighellaredo nothing
- girovagaredo nothing
- vagabondaredo nothing
- trastullarsido nothing
Japanese パン一塊, パン一斤
- パン一塊 (pan hito katamari)block of bread
- パン一斤 (pan ikkin)block of bread
Latin pānis
- pānisblock of bread
Latvian kukulis, klaips
- kukulisblock of bread
- klaipsblock of bread
- slaistītiesdo nothing
Malay buku
- bukublock of bread
Māori ānewanewa, kaweka
- ānewanewado nothing
- kawekado nothing
- whakapāekodo nothing
- whakapatekodo nothing
Polish bochenek, bochen
- bochenekblock of bread
- bochenblock of bread
- bimbaćdo nothing
- przebimbaćdo nothing
Portuguese pão, barra
- pãoblock of bread
- barralarge block of soap
- vadiardo nothing
Romanian pâine, franzelă
- pâineblock of bread
- franzelăblock of bread
- jimblăblock of bread
- trândăvido nothing
- lenevido nothing
Russian буха́нка, бу́лка
- буха́нка (buxánka)block of bread
- бу́лка (búlka)block of bread
- бато́н (batón)block of bread
- коча́н (kočán)head (slang)
- бездельничать (bezdelʹničatʹ)do nothing
Scottish Gaelic lof
- lofblock of bread
Spanish pan, hogaza
- panblock of bread
- hogazablock of bread
- panblock of food
- mollerahead (slang)
- testahead (slang)
- barralarge block of soap
- holgazaneardo nothing
- estar a la bartolado nothing
- golfeardo nothing
Swahili mkate
- mkateblock of bread
Swedish limpa
- limpablock of bread
Welsh torth, diogi
- torthblock of bread
- diogido nothing
- stelciando nothing
Yiddish לעבל, לאַבן
- לעבל (lebl)block of bread
- לאַבן (labn)block of bread
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
loaf. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loaf
“loaf.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loaf. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loaf,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loaf.
Source: loaf on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.