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Cover

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cover¹

  • /ˈkʌvɚ/ US
  • /ˈkʌvə/ UK, Southern England
  • /ˈkʊvə/ Northern England
  • /ˈkʌvəɹ/ Northern Ireland, Scotland
  • /ˈkʊvəɹ/ Ireland
  • /ˈkɐvə/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /kəʋər/
  • /kəʋɜː/

Sounds like cower (short diphthongs) · Rhymes with -ʌvə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Latin con-

Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.

Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.

Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi

Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Latin operiō

Latin cooperiō

Old French covrirbor.

Middle English coveren

English cover

From Middle English coveren, borrowed from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (modern French couvrir), from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperiō (“to cover completely”), from co- (intensive prefix) + operiō (“to close, cover”). Displaced native Middle English thecchen and bethecchen (“to cover”) (from Old English þeccan, beþeccan (“to cover”)), Middle English helen, (over)helen, (for)helen (“to cover, conceal”) (from Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”)), Middle English wrien, (be)wreon (“to cover”) (from Old English (be)wrēon (“to cover”)), Middle English hodren, hothren (“to cover up”) (from Low German hudren (“to cover up”)).

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original sense of the verb and noun cover was “hide from view” as in its cognate covert. Except in the limited sense of “cover again”, the word recover is unrelated and is cognate with recuperate. Cognate with Spanish cubrir and Portuguese cobrir.

noun covers

  1. countable, uncountable A lid.
  2. uncountable Area or situation which screens a person or thing from view. The soldiers took cover behind a ruined building.
  3. countable, uncountable The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package, etc.
  4. countable, uncountable The top sheet of a bed.
  5. countable, uncountable A cloth or similar material, often fitted, placed over an item such as a car or sofa or food to protect it from dust, rain, insects, etc. when not being used.
  6. India, countable, uncountable A bag or packet.
  7. countable, uncountable A cover charge. There's a $15 cover tonight.
  8. countable, uncountable A setting at a restaurant table or formal dinner. We need to set another cover for the Smith party.
  9. countable, uncountable A new performance or rerecording of a previously recorded song; a cover version; a cover song.
  10. countable, uncountable A fielding position on the off side, between point and mid off, about 30° forward of square; a fielder in this position. The captain signalled his best fielder from short leg to cover.
  11. countable, uncountable A tarpaulin or other device used to cover the wicket during rain, to prevent it getting wet. The covers were put on just before lunch.
  12. countable, uncountable The area of the stumps that is blocked by the batsman so as to defend the wicket.
  13. countable, uncountable A backup incase any player sustains injury during nets or midseries. Originally have to be declared part of squad before match. He was brought in as cover for wicketkeeper.
  14. countable, uncountable A collection (or family) of subsets of a given set, whose union contains every element of said original set. The open intervals are a cover for the real numbers.
  15. countable, uncountable An envelope complete with stamps and postmarks etc.
  16. countable, uncountable A solid object, including terrain, that provides protection from enemy fire.
  17. countable, uncountable In commercial law, a buyer’s purchase on the open market of goods similar or identical to the goods contracted for after a seller has breached a contract of sale by failure to deliver the goods contracted for.
  18. countable, uncountable An insurance contract; coverage by an insurance contract.
  19. countable, uncountable A persona maintained by a spy or undercover operative; cover story.
  20. countable, dated, uncountable A swindler's confederate.
  21. countable, uncountable The portion of a slate, tile, or shingle that is hidden by the overlap of the course above.
  22. countable, uncountable In a steam engine, the lap of a slide valve.
  23. countable, uncountable The distance between reinforcing steel and the exterior of concrete.

adjective

  1. not comparable Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.
  2. not comparable Of, pertaining to, or consisting of cover versions.

verb covers · covering · covered · cover

  1. transitive To place something over or upon, as to conceal or protect. He covered the baby with a blanket.
  2. transitive To be over or upon, as to conceal or protect. The blanket covered the baby.
  3. transitive To be upon all of, so as to completely conceal. Regular hexagons can cover the plane.
  4. transitive To set upon all of, so as to completely conceal. You can cover the plane with regular hexagons.
  5. dated, intransitive To put on one's hat. All the while he held his hat in his hand; and even until he had given his answer, when he covered and bade us be.
  6. transitive To invest (oneself with something); to bring upon (oneself). The heroic soldier covered himself with glory.
  7. transitive To discuss thoroughly; to provide coverage of. The magazine covers such diverse topics as politics, news from the world of science, and the economy.
  8. transitive To deal with or include someone or something. Richard Morgan covers science for The Economist, The New York Times, Scientific American, and Wired.
  9. transitive To have as an assignment or responsibility. Can you cover the morning shift tomorrow? I'll give you off next Monday instead.
  10. transitive To provide insurance coverage for. Does my policy cover accidental loss?
  11. transitive To be enough money for. We've earned enough to cover most of our costs.
  12. transitive To supply with funds; to settle or pay the costs for; to foot the bill for. Dad, when I get to University, will I be covered?
  13. intransitive To act as a replacement. I need to take off Tuesday. Can you cover for me?
  14. transitive To air or run locally originated material in place of network material during an internal spot break in a syndicated program. I wish that popular afternoon show would let us cover some of their commercials – their national stuff can be so annoying.
  15. transitive To make a cover version of (a song that was originally recorded by another artist). I'm surprised that the band covered this Beatles song so well.
  16. transitive To protect from attack in general, to guard. Pent up in Utica he vainly forms A poor Epitome of Roman Greatneſs, And, cover’d with Numidian Guards, directs A feeble Army, and an empty Senate, Remnants of mighty Battels fought in vain.
  17. transitive To protect using an aimed firearm and the threat of firing; or to protect using continuous, heaving fire at or in the direction of the enemy so as to force the enemy to remain in cover; or to threaten using an aimed firearm.
  18. transitive To protect or control (a piece or square). In order to checkmate a king on the side of the board, the five squares adjacent to the king must all be covered.
  19. transitive To defend (mark) a particular player or area.
  20. transitive To provide an alibi for (someone); to provide excuses or apologia for (someone); to carry water for someone.
  21. transitive To copulate with (said of certain male animals such as dogs and horses). I would like to have my bitch covered next spring.
  22. transitive To extend over a given period of time or range, to occupy, to stretch over a given area.
  23. transitive To traverse or put behind a certain distance. November 22 — Owing to bad weather all machines flew at a height of 5,000 feet and covered the 90 miles in just 90 minutes . November 23 — During fourth lap ...
  24. ambitransitive, dated To arrange plates, etc. on (a table) in preparation for a meal. […] he told plaintiff he would cover the table, and furnish it the same as the one he was sitting at, and that he should be waited upon and served the same as those on the other side of the room.

Cover²

proper noun

  1. A surname.
  2. A river in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England, which joins the River Ure; in full, the River Cover.

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