I. be·loved bə̇ˈləvd, bē- — compare beloved II and beloved III past part
Etymology: Middle English, past participle of beloven to love, from be- + loven to love — more at love
: loved — used as a passive transitive with of or by
I was beloved of the Italian and Chinese — Eve Langley
II. be·loved -v(ə̇)d — usu -vd when modified by an adverb of degree other than “dearly”; after “dearly” and when there is no adverb of degree both pronunciations are frequent, the frequency of -və̇d after “dearly” prob being due to the analogy of the noun “dearly beloved”, for which -və̇d is usual adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from beloved (I)
: dear to the heart : dearly loved
his beloved aunt
a well- beloved novel
a post beloved to old soldiers
III. be·lov·ed usu -və̇d noun
( -s )
: one who is loved ; especially : sweetheart