lave

Etymology 1

From Middle English laven (“to wash; pour out; stream; bail or draw water, drain, exhaust”), from Old English lafian, ġelafian (“to pour; refresh”), from Proto-West Germanic *labōn (“to refresh; revive; strengthen”), of uncertain origin. Influenced by Old French laver and Latin lavō (“to wash, bathe”). Sometimes compared to Ancient Greek λωφάω (lōpháō, “to recover, rest”), also of unknown origin.

verb

1. (transitive, obsolete) To pour or throw out, as water; lade out; bail; bail out.
2. (transitive) To draw, as water; drink in.
3. (transitive) To give bountifully; lavish.
4. (intransitive) To run down or gutter, as a candle.
5. (intransitive, dialectal) To hang or flap down.
6. (transitive, intransitive, literary or poetic) To wash.
   the tranquil tide, / That laves the pebbled shore. 1789, William Lisle Bowles, 'Sonnet I' from, Fourteen Sonnets
7. To lick.
   […] he drawled, and bent to lave each nipple with his tongue till the satin was wet and clinging. 2011-07-15, Miranda Lee, The Boss's Baby, Harlequin
   Alexander went from laving at her breasts to nuzzling her belly and then his mouth was on her bare thigh, nibbling at her flesh as his fingers delved inside her sheath. She felt herself stretch and squeeze against his long fingers. 2011-08-01, Eliza Knight, A Lady's Charade, Eliza Knight, page 122
   Liam's mouth was so hot and wet on his cock, his tongue so wicked, laving his shaft expertly with smooth, slick strokes, delving into his slit and swiping away the fluid leaking from it. Why was Liam doing this? 2014-02-21, Scarlet Blackwell, Beached Hearts, Totally Entwined Group (USA+CAD)
   He continued to lave her with gentle laps, while his fingers caressed her until she cried out and her whole body convulsed. He felt her muscles contracting around his fingers, but he didn't stop until he'd wrung every last shiver from [her]. 2014-05-01, Leslie Kelly, Jo Leigh, Karen Foley, Susanna Carr, Harlequin Blaze May 2014 Bundle: An Anthology, Harlequin
   He pressed them back down and continued licking, laving at her as her inner muscles contracted around his fingers and she panted out his name. He didn't relent until the last shudder rippled through her beautiful body. 2015-06-11, Melissa Foster, Healed by Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens), World Literary Press
   […] but it took only a few moments of his tongue laving at her core before she was exploding in a mind-drugging climax that made her throat sore from her cries. 2016-04-15, Elizabeth Lennox, The Prince's Forbidden Lover, Elizabeth Lennox Books LLC

Etymology 2

Inherited from Northern Middle English lave (“remainder, rest, that which is left”), from Old English lāf (“lave, remainder, rest”), from Proto-West Germanic *laibu, from Proto-Germanic *laibō (“remainder”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick, glue”). Cognate with Old High German leiba (“lave”), Old Norse leif (“lave”), Old English belīfan (“to remain”). More at belive.

noun

1. (archaic or dialectal) The remainder, rest; that which is left, remnant; others.
   Then they set upon us and slew some of my slaves and put the lave to flight[.] 1885, Richard F. Burton, chapter XII, in The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume I, The Burton Club, page 114
   1896 (posthumously), Robert Louis Stevenson, Songs of Travel and other verses. Give to me the life I love, / Let the lave go by me...
2. (dialectal) A crowd
   Of prelates proud, a populous lave, And abbots boldly there were known. 1807, Ancient historic ballads - Page 72