lov

Lov is a noun in Danish and Norwegian meaning law or statute enacted by a legislative body. It appears in legal and governmental contexts, for example in lovgivning (legislation) and få lov til at gøre noget (to have permission to do something). In Swedish, however, the same spelling means a period of leave or holiday, used in terms such as sportlov and höstlov; it is not used to denote law. This cross-language difference is a common point of reference for the term in Nordic languages.

Historically, lov in Danish and Norwegian comes from Proto-Germanic roots linked to laying down rules and is cognate with Old Norse lög meaning “law.” The definite forms loven (Danish) and loven (Norwegian) are used to mean “the law.” The word functions as a core term in legal vocabulary and everyday references to rights, regulations, and official acts.

In modern usage, lov appears in a range of legal and administrative expressions and is distinct from the English word “love,” which has a separate etymology. The Swedish sense of lov as a holiday period illustrates how related languages can diverge in meaning for the same spelling. Related topics include law, legislation, and legal codes.