glove

Etymology

From Middle English glove, glofe, from Old English glōf, *glōfe, *glōfa, ("glove"; weak forms attested only in plural form glōfan (“gloves”)), from Proto-Germanic *galōfô (“glove”), from Proto-Germanic *ga- (“collective and associative prefix”) + Proto-Germanic *lōfô (“flat of the hand, palm”), from Proto-Indo-European *lāp-, *lēp-, *lep- (“flat”). Cognate with Scots gluve, gluive (“glove”), Icelandic glófi (“glove”). Related to Middle English lofe, lufe (“palm of the hand”). More at loof.

noun

1. An item of clothing, covering all or part of the hand and fingers, but usually allowing independent movement of the fingers.
   I wore gloves to keep my hands warm.
   The boxing champ laced on his gloves before the big bout.
2. A baseball mitt.
3. (baseball, figurative) The ability to catch a hit ball.
   Frederico had a great glove, but he couldn't hit a curveball, so he never broke into the pros.
4. (slang) A condom.
5. (with definite article) A challenge from one to another.
   to throw down the glove, i.e. to offer a challenge; to take up the glove, to accept it

verb

1. (baseball, transitive) To catch the ball in a baseball mitt.
   He gloved the line drive for the third out.
2. (transitive) To put a glove or gloves on.
   Maxwell gloved his hand so that he wouldn't leave fingerprints, then pulled the trigger.
3. (cricket) To touch a delivery with one's glove while the gloved hand is on the bat. Under the rules of cricket, the batsman is deemed to have hit the ball.