Depends on the kind of love. You mean like romantic love? Love between friends (ala philia)? Principled love? Family-based love (ie; instant love for a child when born)? etc. Because there are many different kinds of live, they are hence defined in different ways.
Some expressions of love might be summed up as "compassion", or perhaps "affection". "Empathy" might also be another way to describe a kind of love, as does "tenderness". It's all circumstantial to the specific expression. It can be defined as vaguely and broadly as "warmth" or in some contexts, even "loyalty", or it can be as narrowed-down to terms such as "lust" or "passion", if used in the sensual way.
Unlike some here, I actually do believe love is both practical and worth it; the problem is that people too often tend to be superficial when looking for it. I have parents that have been happily married for almost forty years with several kids down the line, and they're still going strong now.