Ukrainian names — pronunciation, meaning, origin

Liubov — Pronunciation, Meaning & Origin

Female Ukrainian name (Любов)

Pronunciation

Pronunciation card for Liubov
/lʲuˈbɔw/ · lyu-BOV
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Meaning

Liubov (Ukrainian: Любов) is a female name of Slavic origin, a native Slavic calque of Greek Ἀγάπη (Agápē, «love»). One of the three principal Christian virtues.

Origin & History

The name is formed from Proto-Slavic *ljuby («love, affection»). It is an exact Slavic calque of Greek Ἀγάπη (Agápē, «love»). In the Christian tradition, Liubov belongs to the triad of daughters of the holy martyr Sophia — Faith, Hope, Love — who suffered for their faith in Rome under Emperor Hadrian (2nd century). The Ukrainian form Liubov is native folk; the short affectionate form Liuba is especially common. The name remains in use in Ukraine, though it has not been among the most popular in recent decades.

Etymology & Roots

From Proto-Slavic *ljuby («love»); a Slavic calque of Greek Agápē («love»).

International equivalents

Equivalents in other languages: Lyubov / Любовь (Russian), Ljuba (Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Czech), Liubou (Belarusian), Lyuba (Bulgarian); the Greek semantic equivalent is Agápē / Αγάπη.

Diminutives and short forms

Любина, Любинка, Любионька, Любиночка, Любка, Любця, Любуня, Любуненька, Любунечка, Любуся, Любусенька, Любусечка, Люба, Любочка, Любонька, Любаня, Любаша, Любашка, Любонько, Любава.

Declension (Ukrainian)

NominativeЛюбов
GenitiveЛюбові
DativeЛюбові
AccusativeЛюбов
InstrumentalЛюбов’ю
LocativeЛюбові
VocativeЛюбове

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