- glove (n.)
- Old English glof "glove, covering for the hand," also "palm of the hand," from Proto-Germanic *galofo (cf. Old Norse glofi), probably from *ga- collective prefix + *lofi "hand" (cf. Old Norse lofi, Middle English love, Gothic lofa "flat of the hand"), from PIE *lep- "be flat; palm, sole, shoulder blade" (cf. Russian lopata "shovel;" Lithuanian lopa "claw," lopeta "shovel, spade").
German Handschuh, the usual word for "glove," literally "hand-shoe" (Old High German hantscuoh; also Danish and Swedish hantsche) is represented by Old English Handscio (the name of one of Beowulf's companions, eaten by Grendel), but this is attested only as a proper name. To fit like a glove is first recorded 1771. - glove (v.)
- "to cover or fit with a glove," c.1400, from glove (n.). Related: Gloved; gloving. Glover as a surname is from mid-13c.