lavish fondness (on) (4)
I believe the answer is:
dote
'lavish fondness on' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for dote that I've seen before include "Love beyond reason" , "Be overfond" , "Adore" , "Be excessively fond" , "Be weakly affectionate" .)