loaf
part of speech
noun (loaf, loaves); verb (loaf, loafs, loafed, loafing — to be lazy)
meaning for a pupil
1) A loaf is bread baked in one big piece, before it is cut into slices. tree →
2) A meat loaf is minced meat cooked in a loaf shape. tree →
3) To loaf, or loaf around, is to spend time doing nothing. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: A loaf of bread was part of the offerings. The two wave-loaves of Shavuot were baked with leaven and brought as first-fruits. In the Prophets and Proverbs a loaf is ordinary food, so that a man brought "to a loaf of bread" has become very poor, and loaves were given as gifts or to the hungry. Interpretation: The two loaves are still remembered on Shavuot. Tradition links Shavuot to the wheat harvest and to the giving of the Torah. In the primary lessons: In school maths: a counted thing of bread; slices per loaf (slices = loaves × slices each); a price per loaf. In everyday life: buying a loaf at the bakery, making sandwiches. In stories: the Little Red Hen baked a loaf of bread. Phrases: «a loaf of bread», «a sliced loaf», «use your loaf» (UK: think!), «half a loaf is better than none».
examples
- and one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. (Torah EXO.29.23, JPS 1917) tree →
- Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits unto the LORD. (Torah LEV.23.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- Now therefore what is under thy hand? five loaves of bread? give them in my hand, or whatsoever there is present.' (Prophets 1SA.21.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life. (Writings PRO.6.26, JPS 1917) tree →
- And take with thee ten loaves, and biscuits, and a cruse of honey, and go to him; he will tell thee what shall become of the child.' (Prophets 1KI.14.3, JPS 1917) tree →
- A baker makes 40 loaves a day. tree →
- Each loaf has 12 slices. tree →
- A loaf costs 2 dollars. tree →
- How many loaves for 60 slices? tree →
- Please buy a loaf of bread on the way home. tree →
- The Little Red Hen baked a loaf all by herself. tree →
- The fresh loaf smelled wonderful. tree →
- He loafed around all Saturday. tree →
- 'Crumble those three loaves for the ants,' he said. tree →
note
Plural «loaves» (f changes to v), like leaf → leaves. Maths: group with a size: slices = loaves × slices each. Trap: the plural is «loaves»; with leftover slices you still need one more loaf.
In the corpora
- For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, but the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
- Cartoon ducks gobble whole loaves of bread and cartoon swans break people's arms.
- Mould spreads threads through soft food like bread further than you can see, so throw the whole loaf away.
- A loaf has a set number of slices, and a shop sells only whole loaves.
- Count the sandwiches, double them to get the slices, then find how many whole loaves give that many slices.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «loaf» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.