Etymology From Middle English lyvere, lyver, from Old English lifer (“liver”), from Proto-West Germanic *libru, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smear, smudge, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Líeuwer, Lieuwer (“liver”),German Leber (“liver”), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish, and West Frisian lever (“liver”), Faroese livur (“liver”), Icelandic lifur (“liver”). Related to live.
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Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences A large organ in the body that stores and metabolizes nutrients, destroys toxins and produces bile. It is responsible for thousands of biochemical reactions.
Steve Jobs is a famous liver transplant recipient.
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This organ, as taken from animals used as food.
I'd like some goose liver pate.
You could fry up some chicken livers for a tasty treat. — Nah, I don't like chicken liver.
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"I should think you've rocked the boat enough already by refusing to eat liver."1993, Philippa Gregory, Fallen Skies, →ISBN, page 222:
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A dark brown colour, tinted with red and gray, like the colour of liver.
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Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciencesObsolete Any of various chemical compounds—particularly sulfides—thought to resemble livers in color.
He was fat, he was round and his car was in the pound. But we loved Liver bloke Jan Molby all the same. Now he's decided to tell us all about his crazy old days as the Lardy Lord of the Liverpool midfield and you can get your hands on this very funny tale for free if you win this competition.1999 October 7, Jonathan Yee, “warning long post”, in uk.rec.competitions (Usenet), message-ID <qD8L3.581$aK.85990@newsr2.u-net.net>:
‘Your accent has changed!’ ‘No, it hasn’t,’ I lied as I had found a cheap voice teacher for elocution lessons to remove my Liver accent. ‘Yes it has! You no longer sound like a female Sir Paul McCartney.’2008, Carmenica Diaz, Shame, →ISBN, page 16:
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To Jaye this seemed a strange coupling, Dirk being a fun-loving, hard-drinking and irresponsible Liver Lad, and Liz a serious, sober and very responsible History student who gave Jaye the impression of being Dirk's Mum rather than his lover.2012, Julian Corbell, Encounters with Strangers, →ISBN, page 19:
Recently we had recognized certain voices as we had given our routine passage, but now the voice was Northern Irish, replacing the lady from Liverpool. Our Liver girl had sounded quite sad when she advised us to let Belfast know when we arrived in Peel.2014, Shane Spall, The Princess Matilda Comes Home, →ISBN, page 152:
Etymology From Middle English lyvere, lyver, from Old English lifer (“liver”), from Proto-West Germanic *libru, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smear, smudge, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Líeuwer, Lieuwer (“liver”),German Leber (“liver”), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish, and West Frisian lever (“liver”), Faroese livur (“liver”), Icelandic lifur (“liver”). Related to live.
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Of the colour of liver (dark brown, tinted with red and gray).
His friend Rothwell, who had the use of the best Laveracks for breeding purposes, wrote him that one of his puppies was liver and white.2006, Rawdon Briggs Lee, A History and Description of the Modern Dogs of Great Britain & Ireland, →ISBN, page 298:
Etymology From Middle English lyvere, livere, equivalent to live + -er.
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Uncommon Someone who lives (usually in a specified way).
Ephori of Sparta, hearing a dissolute liver propose a very beneficial advise unto the people, commaunded him to hold his peace, and desired an honest man to assume the invention of it unto himselfe and to propound it.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 31, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
a wicked liver may be reclaimed, and prove an honest man[…].1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 3, member 7:
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Try if life be worth the liver's care.1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
[…] a stately speech; / Such as grave Livers do in Scotland use, / Religious men, who give to God and Man their dues.1815 [1802], William Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence:
A great lover of the faith, a great defender of the faith, a great lover of life, great liver of life, great defender of life. And yet he plotted and planned over fifty murders, and carried each of one them out—if only on paper, and if only for our pleasure.2014, Walter Raubicheck, Anya Morlan, Christianity and the Detective Story, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, →ISBN: