love vs hold dear

love is a noun but hold dear is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
love	Yes	No	Yes	No
hold dear	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, hold dear is a hyponym of love; that is, hold dear is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than love:

Other hyponyms of love include love, care for, cherish, treasure, dote, adore.

love (noun)	hold dear (noun)
sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people
any object of warm affection or devotion
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
a score of zero in tennis or squash

love (verb)	hold dear (verb)
have sexual intercourse with	be fond of; be attached to
have a great affection or liking for
be enamored or in love with
get pleasure from