Cover

How to spell cover

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce cover

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does cover mean?

1. verbTo place something over or on top of another thing so as to protect, conceal, or enclose it.
2. nounSomething that lies over or encloses another thing, such as a lid, a protective layer, or the outer binding of a book.
3. nounProtection or financial provision against loss, damage, or liability under an insurance policy.

Cover in a sentence

• verb

  Please cover the leftovers before putting them in the fridge.

• noun

  The cover of the magazine featured a striking photograph.

• noun

  The policy provides full cover for accidental damage to the house.

• verb

  A thick layer of snow began to cover the entire driveway.

• noun

  She lifted the cover off the pan to check the soup.

• noun

  He checked whether his travel cover included lost luggage.

Where does cover come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word entered English in the early 1200s from the Old French verb covrir, which had come down from the Latin cooperire, meaning 'to cover over completely'. That Latin verb joined com-, here acting as an intensifier meaning 'wholly', to operire, 'to close or shut'. The same operire root lies behind 'aperture' and, by negation, 'overt'. Over the centuries the English word broadened far beyond simply laying one thing on top of another: it grew to mean shielding, concealing, travelling a distance, reporting on an event, and providing financial protection. The simple modern spelling hides this Latin pedigree, since the doubled letters of cooperire were smoothed away on the long journey through French.

How the word is built

• co- (from Latin com-, an intensive 'completely')
• ver (from Latin operire, 'to close or shut')