lover

nl-noun

lover n (plural lovers, diminutive lovertje n)

lovers (plural)
lovertje (diminutive neuter)

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.


lover

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

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be my bad boy, be my man / Be my weekend lover, but don't be my friend / You can be my bad boy, but understand / That I don't need you in my life again

2006, Peifer Yann, Reuter Manuel (lyrics and music), “Bad Boy”, in Everytime We Touch, performed by Cascada, →OCLC:

2018 January 17, "Libra Woman: Personality Traits: Love & More", Astrology.com http://www.astrology.com/libra-woman.html
A Libra woman seems to always be in love - either with her long term partner or with an ever-changing series of rotating lovers.

A sexual partner, especially one with whom someone is having an affair.

a lover of fine wines

a lover of his/her own country

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

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

All right, me lover?

(West Country, with "my") An informal term of address for any friend.

→ German: Lover

szerelem (only with possessive suffixes in this sense)

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


lover

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

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

2019, Alain Damasio, chapter 2, in Les furtifs [The Stealthies], La Volte, →ISBN:

(reflexive) to coil up, wind up; to curl up

(reflexive) to snuggle up to, to snuggle up against

lover (infinitive)
avoir + past participle (infinitive multiword-construction)
lovant (gerund participle present)
ayant + past participle (gerund multiword-construction participle present)
lové (participle past)
love (first-person indicative present singular)
loves (indicative present second-person singular)
love (indicative present singular third-person)
lovons (first-person indicative plural present)
lovez (indicative plural present second-person)
lovent (indicative plural present third-person)
lovais (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
lovais (imperfect indicative second-person singular)
lovait (imperfect indicative singular third-person)
lovions (first-person imperfect indicative plural)
loviez (imperfect indicative plural second-person)
lovaient (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
lovai (first-person historic indicative past singular)
lovas (historic indicative past second-person singular)
lova (historic indicative past singular third-person)
lovâmes (first-person historic indicative past plural)
lovâtes (historic indicative past plural second-person)
lovèrent (historic indicative past plural third-person)
loverai (first-person future indicative singular)
loveras (future indicative second-person singular)
lovera (future indicative singular third-person)
loverons (first-person future indicative plural)
loverez (future indicative plural second-person)
loveront (future indicative plural third-person)
loverais (conditional first-person singular)
loverais (conditional second-person singular)
loverait (conditional singular third-person)
loverions (conditional first-person plural)
loveriez (conditional plural second-person)
loveraient (conditional plural third-person)
future of avoir + past participle (future indicative multiword-construction perfect)
conditional of avoir + past participle (conditional multiword-construction perfect)
love (first-person present singular subjunctive)
loves (present second-person singular subjunctive)
love (present singular subjunctive third-person)
lovions (first-person plural present subjunctive)
loviez (plural present second-person subjunctive)
lovent (plural present subjunctive third-person)
lovasse (first-person imperfect singular subjunctive)
lovasses (imperfect second-person singular subjunctive)
lovât (imperfect singular subjunctive third-person)
lovassions (first-person imperfect plural subjunctive)
lovassiez (imperfect plural second-person subjunctive)
lovassent (imperfect plural subjunctive third-person)
love (imperative second-person singular)
lovons (first-person imperative plural)
lovez (imperative plural second-person)

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.


lover

English: louver, louvre, luffer

Middle Scots: lewar

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


lover

Alternative form of lovere (“friend, lover”)