Lovely-Dovey
/ˌlʌv.li ˈdʌv.i/noun
Excessively affectionate, sentimental, or romantically demonstrative.
Did you know?The phrase belongs to English reduplication, a playful word-making tradition also seen in “hocus-pocus,” “mumbo-jumbo,” and “teeny-weeny.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leubh-
“To care for, desire, or love.”
Old English
Old English
lufu
“Love, affection, or friendship.”
Middle English
Middle English
love
“Affection, desire, or romantic attachment.”
18th–19th Century
English
lovey
“A term of endearment, formed from love with a diminutive ending.”
Early 20th Century
English
lovey-dovey
“A rhyming, intensified expression for conspicuously affectionate behavior.”
Modern English
English
lovely-dovey
“A spelling variant of lovey-dovey, meaning excessively romantic or sentimental.”