† lovern.1
Obsolete.
A person who praises someone or something; a eulogist.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > [noun] > one who commends or praises
lover?c1225
praisera1382
allower1528
advancer1536
commendera1568
emblazoner1591
encomiast1610
lauder1611
benedictor1614
extollera1626
encomiaster1676
exalter1678
preconizer1711
eulogist1808
proneur1809
laudator1825
eulogizer1837
belauder1884
psalmist1884
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 188 Leouere me beoð hire wunden þen lufferes [c1230 Corpus Cambr. fikiende, a1250 Nero uikiinde; Fr. del losengour; L. blandientis] cosses.
c1390 (c1350) Proprium Sanctorum in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1888) 81 106 (MED) God, vr saueour, Þat ȝaf so to his knowelechour, his louer and his confessor eke, And to partiner of his nome swete, Grace, mihte, and muche godnesse.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) ix. §24. 36 Þat thynge has man delite to doe in þe whilk þai hafe sum louere & nan with takere.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xxi. 33 To be his lufere and louere.
a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 103/20 [They] reprochit the fortiefiearis and all loweris of him in sic perversit persewerance.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
lovern.2
/ˈlʌvə/, U.S. /ˈləvər/α. Middle English lofer, Middle English loffer, Middle English louear, Middle English louere, Middle English loufer, Middle English louyre, Middle English lovear, Middle English lovere, Middle English lufar, Middle English lufere, Middle English luffer, Middle English luffere, Middle English luuer, Middle English–1500s lufer, Middle English–1600s louer, Middle English– lover, 1500s loouer; Scottish pre-1700 loaffer, pre-1700 lofare, pre-1700 louaire, pre-1700 louar, pre-1700 louer, pre-1700 louere, pre-1700 lovar, pre-1700 lowar, pre-1700 lowear, pre-1700 lufair, pre-1700 lufar, pre-1700 lufare, pre-1700 lufer, pre-1700 lufere, pre-1700 luffar, pre-1700 luffear, pre-1700 luffer, pre-1700 luifar, pre-1700 luifare, pre-1700 luifer, pre-1700 luiffar, pre-1700 luiffer, pre-1700 luiver, pre-1700 luuear, pre-1700 luvar, pre-1700 luwair, pre-1700 lyffar, pre-1700 1700s–1800s luver, pre-1700 1700s– lover; N.E.D. (1903) also records a form late Middle English lovare.
β. Middle English louier, Middle English louyer, Middle English louyere, Middle English 1700s–1800s lovier, 1700s (1800s U.S. (chiefly in African-American usage) and Newfoundland) loveyer, 1700s– lovyer (now chiefly Newfoundland); Scottish 1800s loveyer, 1800s lovier.
1.
a. A person who feels fondness or regard towards another; a friend, a well-wisher. Now rare except in sense 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > [noun] > friend
friendOE
wineOE
fellowa1225
friendmana1250
lovera1275
amic1330
gossipc1390
mikea1400
ally1406
amykec1450
favourer1483
favourite1590
palc1770
butty1791
amigo1813
amico1820
compadre1834
pally1863
tillicum1869
nigger1884
buddy1895
paxc1900
mutual1901
righto1908
segotia1917
bud1924
palsy1930
palsy-walsy1932
buddy-buddy1943
winger1943
mucker1947
main man1956
goombah1968
gabba1970
money1982
a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 29 Þat firste bitokenit charite, to louen þin louer more þen þe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) 14313 Þi louer, þus, why letestou deȝe?
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1882) VIII. 231 The luffers of seynte Edmund were displeasede with hym gretely þerfore.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) i. 1 His verray lufers folous him, fleand honur.
?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) 800 He ys þi lover, lord, suerly.
1524 Will Sir R. Sutton in R. Churton Life App. 543 Make a new feoffment to ten persones of my lovers and frends.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. Contents xviii Ionathas and Dauid are sworne louers.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 82 He was a frynde to my fader & a fyn louer.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. ii. 45 I slewe my best Louer for the good of Rome. View more context for this quotation
1616 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor (rev. ed.) Ded. in Wks. I. 3 To.., Mr. Cambden..Your true louer, Ben. Ionson.
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 154 Men so Wise,..and so Extreme Louers of Themselues, as all these were.
1661 S. Morgan Sphere of Gentry iv. iii. 44 The loving Company of the order of the garter hath received you their Brother Lover and fellow.
1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 59 A stranger, but a very warm lover of yours.
1796 T. W. Tone Autobiogr. (1828) 147 I made my bow, and followed my new lover to his hotel.
1898 W. K. Johnson Terra Tenebrarum 34 The earth was foe to him, Let the sea be lover.
1934 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Grey Granite iii. 130 Robert, kind, a dreamer, a lover of men, lover of his Christ.
b. In religious use: a person who loves or is devoted to God; a worshipper or follower of God; (also) God as the source of love, or as the recipient of devotion. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > [noun] > one who loves
lovingeOE
lovera1387
amourc1400
patriot1631
amorist1635
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > love of > one who has
lovera1387
philotheist1846
the mind > emotion > love > [noun] > Christian love > love of God > one who loves God
lovera1387
philotheist1846
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > as lover or spouse
spousea1200
lotebyc1330
paramoura1400
lover1574
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 45 (MED) In Cristes temple, Cristes trewe lyver [v.r. lover; L. amator] deide.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20870 (MED) Petre was..Luuer o lauerd, alsua niter.
c1480 (a1400) St. Mary of Egypt 1085 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 327 God..þat gyfis mare to his luferis þane þai cane ask.
1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) 2 Tim. iii. 4 Gredy apon volupteousnes more then the lovers of god.
1574 St. Avstens Manuell in Certaine Prayers S. Augustines Medit. sig. Svij God their louer will not take it [sc. love] away from hys louers agaynst theyr willes.
1633 W. Prynne Histrio-mastix vi. xii. f. 525 What hast thou to doe with the pompes of the Devill, who professest thy selfe a lover of Christ?
1690 E. Warren Geologia (new ed.) ii. 72 Jesus, that great Lover of Souls.
1740 C. Wesley in J. Wesley & C. Wesley Hymns & Sacred Poems i. 67 (title) Jesus, Lover of my Soul.
1748 G. White Serm. (MS.) Every true Lover of God.
1851 S. Judd Margaret (rev. ed.) ii. iii. 18 Among princes and peasants..have appeared from time to time sincere and earnest lovers of God and man.
1866 J. H. Newman Dream of Gerontius §1 Lover of souls! great God! I look to Thee.
1963 in L. E. Sweet Peoples & Cultures Middle East (1970) 108 Married dervishes lived out and attended ceremonies at the tekke as did also the lay-brothers, called muhibb, lover (of God).
2006 Church Times 1 Dec. 17/3 When we pray this prayer, we seek nothing more nor less than intimacy with God, our ultimate lover.
2. A person who has an affection, predilection, fancy, or liking for a thing (action, idea, etc.).Frequently with of, and as the second element in compounds. For more established compounds, as art-lover, bird-lover, book-lover, music lover, wine-lover, etc., see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > liking or favourable regard > [noun] > one who likes or favours
loverc1350
good-willer?1468
liker1532
conceiter1589
affectionate1628
c1350 Ayenbite (1866) App. 270 Yet eft þe wordle þyestre, uor þe louyeres of þe wordle byeþ þyestre.
c1350 Ayenbite (1866) App. 270 O men, ne byeþ naȝt..louieres of þe wordle.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) 1 Pet. iii. 13 Who is it that schal anoye ȝou if ȝe ben sueris and louyeris of goodnesse?
c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) l. 902 Fysshers of sowles, & lovers of clennes.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. I. i. 8 Tuball..was a great lover of Musick.
1609 T. Dekker Worke for Armorours sig. C3v A good States man he is, and a louer of peace.
1609 S. Daniel Civile Wares (rev. ed.) i. lxxiv. 20 Peace-louer wealth, hating a troublous State.
1661 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 3) xxi. 255 Pisc. And upon all that are lovers of Vertue, and all that love to be quiet and go a fishing.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 45 He was a great lover of his Country.
1748 D. Hume Parties Great Brit. in Ess. 97 Lovers of Liberty, but greater Lovers of Monarchy.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth Introd., in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. I. 9 Freed from the odious presence of this lover of cleanliness.
1875 M. A. Lower Eng. Surnames II. App. 128 The allusiveness so much objected to by the lovers of simple and non-emblematical heraldry.
1901 Longman's Mag. Oct. 543 The book will be eagerly read by all lovers of Selborne.
1904 E. Wharton Ital. Villas Introd. 5 It is hard to explain to the modern garden-lover..how this effect of enchantment can be produced.
1944 H. Read in Horizon July 63 It is easier for me to sympathize with those lovers of art who but dimly apprehend the formal unity of one of your constructions.
1974 R. A. Caro Power Broker vi. xxix. 672 The War Department can stop it..especially when the sapient being is a lover of New York.
2004 Delicious June 97 Scotland's gastropubs offer food-lovers the chance to enjoy fresh local produce.
3.
a. A person who is in love with, or who is enamoured of, another person. In plural (chiefly in predicative use) frequently denoting persons in love with each other.There is considerable semantic overlap between the subsenses at sense 3, esp. as a result of historical changes in the nature of love and courtship.With earlier use contrast mistress n. 5a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun]
friendOE
lovendOE
lotebyc1330
lovera1382
honeyc1405
amorousa1492
belovera1492
amant1508
fantasera1547
mate1549
Romeo?1566
inamorato1592
amorite1597
amorettoc1600
inamorate1602
amorado1607
enamorate1607
amoroso1616
admirer1640
passionate1651
brother starling1675
sweethearter1854
lovebird1858
mateya1864
jelly roll1895
lovekin1896
main squeeze1896
lovekins1920
romancer1923
playmate1928
heartthrob1929
bae2006
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. iii. 20 But what maner if a womman dispise hir louere [a1425 L.V.: louyere; L. amatorem], so dispisede me the hous of Irael, seith the Lord.
c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 80 A louere and a lusty Bachiler.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 323 O ye loueres þat heyhe vpon þe whiel Ben set of Fortune.
c1480 (a1400) St. Clement 455 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 386 Hyre enbrasit with al his macht, as lyffaris þat had bene in-twyne.
c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) clxxix (MED) Awak! awake! I bring, lufar, I bring The newis glad.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 164 The birdis did with oppin vocis cry: ‘O luvaris fo, away thow dully nycht’.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. xxx. 85 Loyes Rambalte had at Bride a fayre woman to his louer, whome he loued parfitely.
1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Diall Princes Gen. Prol. ⁋7/1 He [sc. Nero] counted seuerally al the haires that his louer Pompeia had on her head.
1602 B. Jonson Poetaster ii. ii. sig. Dv If I freely may discouer, What woulde please mee in my Louer: I woulde haue her faire, and wittie. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) v. ii. 290 The stroke of death is as a Louers pinch, Which hurts, and is desir'd. View more context for this quotation
1653 M. Wigglesworth Diary Apr. (1965) 17 He [sc. God]..promiseth to pardon me, and never to upbraid me of my other lovers.
1704 J. Dennis Liberty Asserted i. iv. 22 'Tis not my Lover's Form ensnares my Heart.
1768 Woman of Honor III. 52 You will find few,..such desperately true lovyers.
1821 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto III iii. 4 In her first passion woman loves her lover.
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Lovier, a lover. A vulgarism, but no corruption. Not peculiar to us.
1850 R. W. Emerson Plato in Representative Men ii. 47 If he had lover, wife, or children, we hear nothing of them.
1885 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainm. (1887) III. 101 She..said..‘I am a lover separated from her beloved’.
1896 R. A. Nicol in J. N.Katz Gay/Lesbian Alm. (1983) 253 My dear lover,..I am blessed far beyond ordinary mortals for I have the dearest comrades who love me.
1920 H. Begbie Life W. Booth I. ii. 31 A young lover, after parting from his sweetheart late one night, was in so fervorous a mood of happiness that..he threw his stick into the air.
1928 R. Hall Well of Loneliness v. liii. 488 That night she took Mary into her arms—the relentless, compelling arms of a lover.
1956 ‘B. Holiday’ & W. Dufty Lady sings Blues xviii. 161 Quite a few girls..were lovers and would take these farm jobs so they could be together when they wanted.
1961 J. Carew Last Barbarian 40 One beautiful woman smiles at you and you start acting like a moon-struck lover.
1994 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 6 Feb. b1/2 You'd think with all the hoopla surrounding Valentine's Day, most lovers or wannabe lovers would plan their flower orders..in advance.
b. A person who engages in a romantic or sexual relationship outside marriage, esp. one which is clandestine or illicit.Chiefly denoting the unmarried male partner in an extra-marital affair. Cf. mistress n. 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > [noun] > illicit intimacy > person > illicit male lover
leman1297
concubinec1430
lover1611
fancy man1811
other man1886
other guy1953
1611 Bible (King James) Jer. iii. 1 Thou hast played the harlot with many louers . View more context for this quotation
1676 J. Harris Divine Physician i. iii. 89 So did one Lodewick Steward of Normandy, kill his Wife Carlotta, and her Lover John Lavernus, as they were in bed together.
1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 20 Sept. (1965) I. 271 A Woman looks out for a Lover as soon as she's marry'd.
1793 M. Robinson Mod. Manners ii. 22 Listless husbands sleep 'till noon arrives And modish lovers,—flirt with modish wives.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 89 She answered, Thy wife has a lover.
1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 453/2 Here is a husband deceived, a wife who is a bigot, and whose lover comes into her domestic circle.
1919 E. Pound Quia Pauper Amavi 11 She has her lover till morn, Till the traist man cry out to warn Them.
1942 E. Paul Narrow Street ii. 16 He saw, not his cringing wife and the imaginary lover he had always sworn to catch in flagrante delicto, but his swarthy waiter and a strange girl.
1974 A. J. P. Taylor Let. 13 Dec. in Lett. to Eva (1991) 216 It will be quite like old times when I had all the children living at home, often with their wives, lovers and mistresses.
1985 D. Johnson Fiskadoro iv. 111 They admired his dangerous flaring honesty in talking about his wife and her lover.
2000 I. Pattison Stranger here Myself (2001) ix. 290 He feels guilty, chucks lover, devotes life to wife's care.
c. A person who engages in sexual relations with another; (with modifying adjective) a person considered in terms of sexual performance.
ΚΠ
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. 123 The narrowness no longer put me to intollerable pain, and afforded my lover no more difficulty than what heighten'd his pleasure.
1863 Libertine Enchantress viii. 140 Maria herself met the thrusts of her lover with thrusts of her own.
1893 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang III. 80/2 Fucker, a lover.
1937 W. Lewis Revenge for Love vi. iii. 308 I was still too sick a man to be of much use as a lover... I told her I'd had enough kiss-stuff.
1955 G. Gorer Exploring Eng. Char. viii. 103 He or she might draw invidious comparisons between lover and spouse.
1987 X. Hollander Happy Hooker (rev. ed.) iii. 55 Generous sexual endowments don't specifically make a man a good lover, but it helps as long as he uses it gently and doesn't crudely bang away.
1992 M. Ondaatje Eng. Patient iii. 126 Even when he is a tender lover..she feels invisible to that lost look till his groan when his head falls against her neck.
2006 Diva Feb. 60/3 A dental dam is a thin, latex sheet that you stretch over your lover's genitals during oral sex.
d. Chiefly with possessive adjective: either member of a loving couple; a person in an (exclusive) sexual and romantic relationship with another. Cf. partner n.1 5a.Typically used to denote a member of a couple in a long-standing, stable relationship other than marriage.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > married person > [noun] > spouse, consort, or partner
ferec975
matchOE
makec1175
spousea1200
lemanc1275
fellowc1350
likea1393
wed-ferea1400
partyc1443
espouse?c1450
bedfellow1490
yokefellow?1542
espousal1543
spouse1548
mate1549
marrow1554
paragon1557
yokemate1567
partner1577
better halfa1586
twin1592
moiety1611
copemate1631
consort1634
half-marrow1637
matrimonya1640
helpmeet1661
other half1667
helpmate1715
spousie1735
life companion1763
worse half1783
life partner1809
domestic partner1815
ball and chain1921
lover1969
1969 E. Connell Mr Bridge cxii. 243 He had a tiff with his lover. He came about twelve and asked if he could stay with me.
1981 N.Y. Times Mag. 27 Sept. 96/2 I told him, ‘I'm your lover, not your landlord.’ From then on, we shared all the household expenses.
1990 Sun 20 Oct. 15/6 Hunky actor..is set to break the hearts of millions of female fans..by marrying his lover and mother of his child.
2000 14th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (B.F.I. Programme Booklet) 11/1 Greay and his lover, Daniel, are one week away from their commitment ceremony.
4. colloquial. As a form of address or endearment.In modern use applied (originally and chiefly U.S.) esp. to a lover; in English regional (chiefly southern) also in more casual contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun]
darlingc888
belamy?c1225
culver?c1225
dearc1230
sweetheartc1290
heartc1300
sweetc1330
honeya1375
dovec1386
jewelc1400
birdc1405
cinnamonc1405
honeycombc1405
lovec1405
wantonc1450
mulling?a1475
daisyc1485
crowdy-mowdy?a1513
honeysop?a1513
powsowdie?a1513
suckler?a1513
foolc1525
buttinga1529
whitinga1529
beautiful1534
turtle-dove1535
soula1538
heartikin1540
bully?1548
turtle1548
lamba1556
nyletc1557
sweet-lovea1560
coz1563
ding-ding1564
pugs1566
golpol1568
sparling1570
lover1573
pug1580
bulkin1582
mopsy1582
chuck1589
bonny1594
chick1594
sweetikin1596
ladybird1597
angel1598
muss1598
pinkany1599
sweetkin1599
duck1600
joy1600
sparrowc1600
sucket1605
nutting1606
chuckaby1607
tickling1607
bagpudding1608
heartling1608
chucking1609
dainty1611
flittermouse1612
honeysuckle1613
fubs1614
bawcocka1616
pretty1616
old thinga1625
bun1627
duckling1630
bulchin1633
bulch?c1640
sweetling1648
friscoa1652
ding-dongs1662
buntinga1668
cocky1680
dearie1681
chucky1683
lovey1684
machree1689
nykin1693
pinkaninny1696
nug1699
hinny1724
puss1753
pet1767
dovey1769
sweetie1778
lovey-dovey1781
lovely1791
ducky1819
toy1822
acushla1825
alanna1825
treat1825
amigo1830
honey child1832
macushla1834
cabbage1840
honey-bunch1874
angel pie1878
m'dear1887
bach1889
honey baby1895
prawn1895
hon1896
so-and-so1897
cariad1899
pumpkin1900
honey-bun1902
pussums1912
snookums1919
treasure1920
wogger1922
amico1929
sugar1930
baby cake1949
angel cake1951
lamb-chop1962
petal1974
bae2006
1573 C. Hollyband French Schoole-maister 84 Wife, shal wee dyne? [Wife] When it will please you my louer: al is ready.
1808 J. N. Barker Indian Princess ii. ii. 39 I am not pleased now—and yet my heart beats. Oh, lover!
1878 G. Barlow Two Marriages iii. iv. 84 My true heart, oh, lover, has been thine.
1911 G. Stratton-Porter Harvester x. 194 ‘Hello, lover!’ cried Doctor Carey... ‘Are you married yet?’
1920 F. S. Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise ii. i. 209 Rosalind: Lover! Lover! I can't do with you, and I can't imagine life without you.
1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 389 Maybe I wouldn't hear all the jazz you hear, lover, but I could develop her talent.
1963 D. Heyes 12th of Never (1964) v. 31 ‘You got it, lover,’ the waitress said.
1966 L. Deighton Billion-dollar Brain iv. 41 It's nothing like that, lover. I'm not going to get myself hurt.
1972 J. Burmeister Running Scared iv. 72 She swung her legs off the bed. ‘How about some coffee, lover?’
1999 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 29 Sept. 5 He said that the officer..had a standard greeting in the office of ‘hello lover, give us a kiss’.
5. U.S. slang. A man who manages a prostitute or prostitutes; a pimp. Cf. Latin lover n. (a) at Latin adj. and n. Additions.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > pimping or procuring > procurer of either sex > pimp
putourc1390
panderc1450
mitchera1500
apple-squire?1536
squire of dames or ladies1590
apron-squire1593
bed-broker1594
pimp1600
pippin squire1600
petticoat-monger1605
smockster1608
underputter1608
broker-between1609
squire of the placket1611
squire1612
fleshmongera1616
cock bawd1632
whiskin1632
pimp-whiskin1638
bully1675
foot pimp1690
mutton-broker1694
pimp whisk1707
flash-man1789
panderer1826
bludger1856
whoremaster1864
mack1894
lover1904
jelly bean1905
procureur1910
P.I.1928
sweetback1929
sweet man1942
nookie-bookie1943
papasan1970
1904 ‘No. 1500’ Life in Sing Sing 250/1 Lover, a man who receives support from a prostitute.
1963 R. I. McDavid & D. W. Maurer Mencken's Amer. Lang. (new ed.) 727 A pimp is a..McGimp, fish and shrimp, lover, Latin lover and many others.
Compounds
C1.
lover-loving adj.
ΚΠ
1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II i. lxxxi. 48 While on the gay dance shone Night's lover-loving Queen.
1815 E. Quillinan Monthermer ii. 32 Thy wild arcades, And gentle falls, and lover-loving shades.
1927 R. A. Taylor Leonardo Florentine ii. iv. 150 It was Love the delicately shod, the lover-loving, the dreamy, gracious god of soft kisses and sighing surrenders.
C2.
a. Appositive.
lover-boy n. slang (originally U.S.) a male lover, esp. a young male lover; an attractive man, a ladykiller; also used as a form of address.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun] > male lover
servantc1405
specialc1425
servitorc1450
love-lad1586
young man1589
inamorato1592
swainc1592
gentleman friend1667
enamorado1677
spark1707
beau?1720
Johnny1726
man friend1736
feller1842
novio1843
soupirant1849
fella1874
man1874
fellow1878
square-pusher1890
stud1895
papa1896
lover mana1905
boyfriend1906
daddy1912
lover-boy1925
sheikh1925
sweetback1929
sweet man1942
older man1951
boyf1990
1925 Opportunity May 71 These thoughts..came to the garlic-scented ‘hunkies’, to the Italian Madonna, to the sisters of Charity, to the lover boy and his lover girl, to the Negro youths.
1950 N. Cassady Let. 10 Sept. (2005) 145 Carolyn has found a big lover boy who satisfies her completely.
1952 S. Ellin Key to Nicholas Street i. i. 14 Here was lover boy walking around with milady's key.
1959 C. Williams Man in Motion iii. 26 He's a Lover Boy, one of those big, flashy, conceited types that has to..give all the girls a break.
1961 H. S. Turner Something Extraordinary ii. 28 Clive..has never been able to stop her calling him ‘loverboy’ in tones of scorn.
1972 F. Warner Lying Figures ii. 9 Out on the prowl tonight, lover-boy?
2004 H. Kunzru Transmission (2005) 206 He impersonated moody loners.., ordinary joes turned have-a-go heroes and gym-toned loverboys in a series of hits.
lover man n. slang (originally U.S.) = lover-boy n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun] > male lover
servantc1405
specialc1425
servitorc1450
love-lad1586
young man1589
inamorato1592
swainc1592
gentleman friend1667
enamorado1677
spark1707
beau?1720
Johnny1726
man friend1736
feller1842
novio1843
soupirant1849
fella1874
man1874
fellow1878
square-pusher1890
stud1895
papa1896
lover mana1905
boyfriend1906
daddy1912
lover-boy1925
sheikh1925
sweetback1929
sweet man1942
older man1951
boyf1990
a1905 V. J. Daley Wine & Roses (1911) 75 My Lover Man, the strong, the gay, Will fade and pass like passing breath.
1948 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 23 May What gives, lover man?
1968 L. Deighton Only when I Larf xvii. 226 ‘There's no hurry, loverman,’ she said.
1972 J. Brown Chancer xv. 208 Our arty friend, lover man, he was running a photography business.
2004 M. M. Lewis Scars of Soul i. v. 71 His Brooklyn tales of a smooth, suits-and-champagne loverman presaged the narratives of Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G.
b. Compounds with lover’s or lovers’.† lovers' lair n. [ < the genitive plural of lover n.2 + lair, variant of lore n.1] Scottish Obsolete the religion or faith of lovers; to go to lovers' lair: to study or take instruction in love.
ΚΠ
c1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) vi. 25 So luvaris lair no leid suld lak.
1568 Interlud Droichis Part Play 68 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) 317 Lassis..Wald ga to luvaris lair.
a1600 A. Montgomerie Misc. Poems xvii. 59 Beuties freshest florish, fair, Exemed clene from Loves lair.]
lover's knot n. = love-knot n. 2; cf. true lover's knot n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > [noun] > love-token or love-gift > ribbon worn as love-token > knot or bow of ribbon used as love-token
true lovec1400
love-knotc1405
true-love knot1496
amoretc1500
lover's knot1565
true lover's knot1577
loving knota1596
1565 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) iv. sig. Iv By destny ioinde, by destny broke, the louers knot, and ring.
1672 J. Howard All Mistaken iv. 46 Our souls so fast in Lovers knots wee'l tye.
1776 E. Thompson Syrens ii. iii. 25 Cupid's silken standard shall unfurl, Pencil'd with lovers knots.
1851 J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. viii. 98 Tying the shafts together in their centre, in a lover's knot.
1924 T. Wright Romance of Lace Pillow (new ed.) I. ix. 79 Lovers' knots are carved on trees.
1998 Patchwork & Quilting Aug. 51/2 6 block designs: Rail Fence, Lovers Knot, Pinwheel, Whirling Star, Windmill and Interlocking Square.
lovers' lane n. a lane or any other secluded place popular with courting couples (sometimes as a nickname) (cf. lovers' walk n.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > love affair > [noun] > secluded place for lovers
lovers' lane1853
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > lane > [noun] > frequented by lovers
lovers' lane1853
1853 F. Coghlan Miniature Guide Rhine 255 At the further extremity..is a retired shady avenue, which might be justly named lovers' lane.
1881 Golden Gate Gaz. (San Francisco) 26 Oct. 2/2 Sunday afternoon as a young lady and gentleman were promenading through ‘Lovers' Lane’ they were attacked by a ferocious dog.
1918 J. M. Barrie What Every Woman Knows iv. 134 There is a romantically damp little arbour at the end of what the villagers call the Lovers' Lane.
1947 News of World 26 Jan. 3/6 Her..body..was found in a ‘lovers' lane’ on an empty building site.
1966 J. Pearl Crucifixion of Pete McCabe (1967) ix. 136 How would I know that I'd find Donna Lord parked in a lovers' lane at Briarwood Lake?
2007 Daily Mail (Irish ed.) (Nexis) 15 Feb. 29 The city is not short of a wide range of potential lovers' lanes.
lover's leap n. (a) (the name of) a place, often a height or precipice, commemorated in local lore as a site from which lovers are said to leap despairingly to their death (see also leap n.1 2 and lover's loup at loup n.1); (b) the leap made by a despairing lover; also in extended use, as of a matrimonial venture.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > high place or part > high place to be leaped from
leapc1275
lover's leap1711
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 223. ¶4 This Place was therefore called the Lover's Leap.
1760 A. Murphy Way to keep Him i. 28 Before I'd lead such a Life, I'd take a Lover's Leap into Rosamond's Pond.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas IV. x. xii. 208 She replied, that having a considerable fortune, it would give her pleasure to share it in her life-time with a man of honour..then, rejoined I, you have made up your mind to take a lover's leap.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. vi. 56/2 The river of his History..here dashes itself over that terrific Lover's Leap; and, as a mad-foaming cataract, flies wholly into tumultuous clouds of spray!
1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi (1923) lix. 482 There are fifty Lover's Leaps along the Mississippi from whose summit disappointed Indian girls have jumped.
1926 P. G. Wodehouse Heart of Goof v. 165 The Plus Fours..were pointed out to strangers together with the waterfall, the Lovers' Leap, and the view.
1964 C. Willock Enormous Zoo ii. 23 In a world full of lovers' leaps, this must be one of the most frightening.
1986 Guardian (Nexis) 11 Oct. The lovers' leap into marriage is still as popular as ever.
1991 D. D. Hughes Human Sacrifice in Anc. Greece 160 The promontory [on the island of Leucas] was famed as a ‘lovers' leap’, from which Sappho, Cephalus, and several others were said to have jumped, some dying from the fall, but others surviving, thereby cured of their love.
lover's quarrel n. (also lovers' quarrel) a dispute between lovers (cf. lovers' tiff n.); also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > love affair > [noun] > dispute between lovers
lover's quarrel1677
society > society and the community > dissent > quarrel or quarrelling > [noun] > quarrel between other specific people
Poetomachia1602
tippet-scuffle1641
lover's quarrel1677
1677 (title) The lovers quarrel: or, Cupids triumph.
1785 S. J. Pratt Misc. II. 143 (title of poem) A lover's quarrel.
1823 C. Lamb Let. 9 Jan. (1935) II. 364 Henceforth I retract all my fond complaints of mercantile employment, look upon them as Lovers' quarrels.
1842 E. Bulwer-Lytton Zanoni I. ii. ii. 137 The mysterious warning of Zanoni then suddenly occurred to him; he had forgotten it in the interest of his lover's quarrel with Viola.
1942 R. Frost Witness Tree 52 I had a lover's quarrel with the world.
1994 J. Malcolm Silent Woman ii. v. 109 I was being made privy to a lover's quarrel.
lover's nuts n. North American slang testicular discomfort attributed to prolonged sexual arousal without ejaculation.
ΚΠ
1954 Jrnl. Genetic Psychol. 85 232 Whether they had ever experienced during prolonged petting a pain in their genital area... The following is a list of names by which the condition is known to the subjects: passion cramps..lovers' nuts..blue balls.
1996 Toronto Sun (Nexis) 9 Mar. (Lifestyle section) 38 Males regard ‘Blue Balls’ or ‘Lover's Nuts’ as if it was a deadly condition. No man ever died from this indication of sexual arousal.
lovers rock n. (also lovers' rock, lover's rock) a form of reggae music incorporating elements of soul (esp. in terms of vocal style) and featuring lyrics with a romantic theme.Originally as the name of a record label on which music of this type appeared (see quot. 1977).
ΚΠ
1977 Black World Sept. 54/2 Reggae singles... Hello Stranger/Brown Sugar (Lovers Rock).
1979 Melody Maker 24 Feb. 17/5 Lest we forget, the whole Lovers' Rock movement is basically pure pop.
1997 S. Barrow & P. Dalton Reggae viii. 325/2 An even more distinctive contribution to reggae of the 1970s and 1980s was the merging of soft-soul styles and reggae basslines known as lovers rock, a style that Britain made its own.
lovers' telephone n. see telephone n. 1a.
lovers' tiff n. (also lover's tiff) a trivial or short-lived dispute between lovers (cf. lover's quarrel n.).
ΚΠ
1873 Times 21 Apr. 8/4 There is nothing in the revelation to justify a lovers' ‘tiff’ much less a quarrel.
1938 W. Watson Miss Pettigrew lives for Day viii. 121 Just a little lover's tiff. Forgotten as soon as they saw each other again.
2007 Australian (Nexis) 24 Apr. (Features section) 36 There are lovers' tiffs, and then there are bust-ups that threaten to jeopardise your..business.
lovers' walk n. (also lover's walk) a sheltered or secluded path or avenue, popular with or suitable for courting couples (cf. lovers' lane n.).
ΚΠ
1702 G. Farquhar Love & Business 98 Meeting your Ladyship in the Park to Morrow by Six; if you tarry till Seven, you may find me at the End of the Lover's Walk, hanging upon one of the Trees.
1887 B. Harte Millionaire of Rough-and-Ready ii. 56 A disused trail, almost hidden by the waxen-hued yerba buena, led from the highway, and finally lost itself in the undergrowth. It was a lovers' walk.
1994 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 29 May (Business on Sunday section) 20 A pleasure park... It comes complete with a lovers' walk, a boating lake, fairy lights and the impressive pagoda in the picture.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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