Obs. Forms: 3–5 couer-en, cover-en. Also 4 couir, -yr, coouer, ceuer, kuuer, kuver, keurie, keouerie, 4–5 keuere(n), kever, 5 keuyr, kouer; 5 cowre, cure, 8 Sc. coor, cowr. [In part at least aphetic f. ACOVER to recover, q.v.; but reinforced by the cognate OF. covrer, couvrer, to get, acquire = Pr. and Sp. cobrar, a word which contains the radical part of F. re-couvrer, Sp. re-cobrar, L. recuperāre to regain, recover; cuperare appears also in med.L.: cf. cuperamentum acquisition, in Du Cange = OF. covrance, couvrance (Godef.).
French influence is evident in the vowel-change in the form kever, the 3rd sing. pres. of couvrer being regularly cuevre, keuvre, as in COVER v.1 Numerous examples of the OF. covrer, couvrer are given by Godefroy under combrer. Like COVER v.1, this word was sometimes reduced to a monosyllable cowr, cour, coor, esp. in Sc.]
1. trans. To get, gain, obtain, attain.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 342, in O. E. Misc., 122. Þe mon þe hi [god wymmon] may icheose, and icouere over oþre [v.r. chesen hire from oþere].
a. 1300. Cursor M., 964 (Cott.). Tell me … I sal couer [MS. T. gete] þi saghteling.
c. 1305. Judas Iscariot, 136, in E. E. P. (1862), 110. Þat he [Judas] þe teoþing of þulke boxes to him keouerie miȝte.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., C. 485. I keuered me a cumfort þat now is caȝt fro me.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 269. An yle, Þat no creature might keuer for course of the see.
c. 1477. Caxton, Jason, 37. I had moche leuer couere a litill blame thenne [etc.].
b. with inf. To attain or get to be.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 128. Þat it no schuld neuer Kuuere to be king þer as þe kinde eyre.
c. intr. To attain, make one’s way, get (to, out of).
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 319. Er moste þou ceuer to oþer counsayl.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 2221. Syþen he keuerez bi a cragge, & comez of a hole.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 3625. William at last keuered with þe kinges sone out of þe kene prese. Ibid., 3647. For ouȝt þat here enimys ever worche miȝt, Þei keuered with clene strengþe with him to towne.
c. 1490. Promp. Parv., 99. Cowryn, or strechynge [v.r. curyn, or astretchyn; P. aretchyn], attingo.
d. To cover up: to get up, succeed in rising.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 4269. His hors … keoverid up abowe the flod; And swam to that othir syde.
c. 1430. Syr Gener. (Roxb.), 5898. Vp he keuered on his fete.
2. trans. To recover, get back, regain.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1240. Wende ȝhe it [ðe child] coueren neuere mor.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 26034. Samson … couerd siþen his fax.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 12949. His cuntre to kouer, & his kid rewme.
c. 1425. Seven Sag. (P.), 357. I scholde covere agayn my syght.
3. To recover, restore, relieve (a person, etc., from, of, out of); to heal (a wound).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 2630 (Cott.). Godd sal couer þe of þi care. Ibid., 15575 (Cott.). Þou sal couer & confort ham Þat sitis in sorou.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1700. [He] cowþe vche kyndam to-kerue & keuer when hym lyked.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1521. Ȝour comfort mai him keuere & his sorwe slake.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxiv. 199. Þat þus has couered vs of oure care.
c. 1450. Merlin, xxviii. 574. The kynge delyuered hem leches to couer theire woundes.
b. refl. To recover oneself.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 19705 (Cott.). Saulus him couerd in a stund, þe Iuus fast can he confund.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 924. Wald thow conuert the in hy, and couer the of sin.
4. intr. (for refl.) To recover (from sickness, fainting, or the like); to regain health; to be restored, to be relieved.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 392. Kyng Wyllam keuerede aȝen to hele al to sone.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8624 (Gött.). Þis child … miht not couer to lijf a-gayn.
a. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 811. Þan er men in dout … Wethir he sal ever cover agayn.
1382. Wyclif, Heb. xi. 34. Thei keuereden of syknesse.
c. 1435. Torr. Portugal, 334. Thus he covyrd owt of care.
c. 1450. Myrc, 858. Gef that they to lyf keuere.
1470–1570. Henry, Wallace, X. 26. vij thowsand … Dede on the bent, that recoueryt [ed. 1570 cowerit] neuir mar.
1768. Ross, Helenore, 37 (Jam.). Say, ye’re in love, and but her cannot cowr.
