lover

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English lovere, luffer, lufere, equivalent to love +‎ -er.

Alternative forms

• lovyer (dialectal or obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlʌvɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlʌvə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lov‧er
• Rhymes: -ʌvə(ɹ)

Noun

lover (plural lovers)

1. One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse.

   Synonyms: love, love interest, spouse, sweetheart, significant other; see also Thesaurus:lover

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vi], page 170, column 2:

     […] loue is blinde, and louers cannot ſee / The pretty follies that themſelues commit, […]

   • 1976, Joni Mitchell (lyrics and music), “Song For Sharon”, in Hejira:

     Well there's a wide wide world of noble causes / And lovely landscapes to discover / But all I really want to do right now / Is find another lover

   • 2014 September 23, Elle King, Dave Bassett, “Ex's & Oh's”, in Love Stuff‎^[1], performed by Elle King:

     Now, there's one in California who's been cursing my name / 'Cause I found me a better lover in the UK, hey, hey / Until I made my getaway

   • 2016, David Boulter, Stuart A. Staples (lyrics and music), “Like Only Lovers Can”, in The Waiting Room, performed by Tindersticks:

     We can only hurt each other the way that lovers can / So where do we go, where do we hide now?

   • Love definition

     A deep caring for the existence of another. (1 of 16 love definitions)

   • Care For definition

     To attend to the needs of, especially in the manner of a nurse or personal aide. (1 of 2 care for definitions)

   • Romantic definition

     Of a work of literature, a writer etc.: being like or having the characteristics of a romance, or poetic tale of a mythic or quasi-historical time; fantastic. (1 of 7 romantic definitions)

   • Sweetheart definition

     A person who is always very kind. (1 of 3 sweetheart definitions)

   • Soulmate definition

     Someone, especially a romantic partner, with whom one is exceptionally or uniquely compatible or has a special, almost spiritual connection.

   • Boyfriend definition

     A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. (1 of 2 boyfriend definitions)

   • Girlfriend definition

     A female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. (1 of 4 girlfriend definitions)

   • Spouse definition

     A person in a marriage or marital relationship.

   • Love Interest definition

     One who is of interest as a (potential) partner in love. (1 of 3 love interest definitions)

   • Significant Other definition

     One's exclusive romantic partner. (1 of 2 significant other definitions)
2. A sexual partner, especially one with whom someone is having an affair.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sexual partner

   • 2018 January 17, "Libra Woman: Personality Traits: Love & More", Astrology.com [2]

     A Libra woman seems to always be in love - either with her long term partner or with an ever-changing series of rotating lovers.

   • Sexual Partner definition

     A person with whom someone has had sex.

   • Affair definition

     Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public. (1 of 9 affair definitions)
3. A person who loves something.

   Synonym: connoisseur

   a lover of fine wines

   a lover of his/her own country

   • 1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter XVIII.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC, page 279:

     But though a conscientious disciplinarian he was no lover of authority for mere authority's sake.

   • Connoisseur definition

     A specialist in a given field whose opinion is highly valued, especially in one of the fine arts or in matters of taste.
4. (West Country, with "my") An informal term of address for any friend.

   All right, me lover?

Usage notes

• In the 1980s and 1990s, the term "lover" was commonly used for a long-term committed romantic partner, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community. Subsequently, this usage has become less common, usually in favour of partner.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → German: Lover

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

lover (plural lovers)

1. Obsolete form of louver.

   • Louver definition

     A type of turret on the roof of certain medieval buildings designed to allow ventilation or the admission of light. (1 of 3 louver definitions)

Anagrams

• Vlorë

Dutch

Alternative forms

• loover (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch lover, originally the plural of loof. As with other words with plurals in -er, eventually this was substituted with -eren, creating loveren. This new plural was then reanalysed as a separate noun and a new singular form lover was back-formed from it.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈloː.vər/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lo‧ver
• Rhymes: -oːvər

Noun

lover n (plural lovers, diminutive lovertje n)

1. foliage

   • Foliage definition

     The leaves of plants. (1 of 3 foliage definitions)

Synonyms

• gebladerte
• lommer

Anagrams

• vloer

French

Etymology

A 17th century borrowing from North Sea Germanic language verb "lofen, lufen". The 1986 Dictionnaire de l'Académie française identifies the source as Low German (Dutch Low Saxon or German Low German); Jan de Vries' Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek (which identifies it as a possible cognate of Dutch leuver) suggests East Frisian instead.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɔ.ve/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

lover

1. to coil (a rope or cord), to fake a line

   • Coil definition

     Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral. (1 of 5 coil definitions)

   • Fake definition

     Not real; false, fraudulent (1 of 2 fake definitions)
2. (reflexive) to coil up, wind up; to curl up
   • 2019, Alain Damasio, chapter 2, in Les furtifs [The Stealthies], La Volte, →ISBN:

     Happant du linge et courbant le matelas, j’y ai rapidement fait mon nid et je me suis lové en boule à l’intérieur.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • Curl Up definition

     to curl, make curly, shape into curls (1 of 5 curl up definitions)
3. (reflexive) to snuggle up to, to snuggle up against

   • Snuggle Up definition

     To lie or sit in a comfortable, relaxed position, holding someone or something else.

Conjugation

Further reading

• “lover”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• voler

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French lovier, lover, from Medieval Latin *lōdārium (attested as lōvārium), extension of lōdium, of unclear origin.

Alternative forms

• lovere, lowere, lovyre

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /luˈveːr/, /ˈluvər/, /loːˈveːr/, /ˈloːvər/

Noun

lover (plural lovers)

1. louver (type of turret)

   • Turret definition

     A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the corners of a building or castle. (1 of 5 turret definitions)

Descendants

• English: louver, louvre, luffer
• Middle Scots: lewar

References

• “lǒver(e, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

lover

1. Alternative form of lovere (“friend, lover”)

   • Lovere definition

     a friend; one who is favorable towards someone or something: A devout follower or worshipper of a deity. A devoted follower of a ruler. (1 of 4 lovere definitions)

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

lover m pl

1. indefinite masculine plural of lov

   • Lov definition

     hunt (1 of 2 lov definitions)

Verb

lover

1. present tense of love

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• lovar m pl

Noun

lover f pl

1. indefinite feminine plural of lov

Etymology 2

Verb

lover

1. present of lova

   • Lova definition

     dog