What is the meaning of the phrase ‘I love you to death’?

I love you very much.

What is the origin of the phrase ‘I love you to death’?

It is not at all clear just where this phrase originates from, but there is speculation that it is derived from Christian wedding vows, where by a couple would vow to one another that:

“I [name] in the presence of God and these witnesses, take thee [other name] to be my wedded wife/husband, and plight thee my troth, till death do us part.”

Such a commitment is symbolic of a very deep, true, and long lasting love.

Today, the phrase isn’t always necessarily used to say that one person wants to marry someone. Instead, the phrase is taken to mean that a person loves another person or pet very intensely.

What are some notable uses of the phrase ‘I love you to death’?

In the year 1990, there was an American black comedy film released called ‘I Love You To Death’ starring the likes of River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, which was loosely based around an attempted murder that occurred in 1983.

Sometime later in 2019, there was another film released, this time titled ‘Love you to death’ (without the I), which was again inspired by a true story. This time it was about a newly recognised condition called Munchausen Syndrome, where a mother deliberately makes her child very very ill. In the film, the mother is eventually found murdered and the sick family secret of parental abuse is revealed.

‘Love you to death’ is also the name of a Canadian pop punk band, and the name of an album released by Tegan and Sara in 2016, and the name of several songs and novels.