A fellow embraces relation, showing love (9)
I believe the answer is:
adoration
'love' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a fellow embraces relation' is the wordplay.
'fellow' becomes 'don' (both can mean an academic).
'embraces' indicates putting letters inside.
'relation' becomes 'ratio' (ratio is a kind of relation).
'don' placed around 'ratio' is 'doration'.
'a'+'doration'='ADORATION'
'showing' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for adoration that I've seen before include "enormous respect" , "Worship, veneration" , "What star gets from fans" , "high esteem" , "praise" .)