Cover

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkʌvɚ/

Definitions

1. A protective or concealing layer placed over something to shield or hide it from view or damage
2. A layer or object that conceals or protects another item from exposure or harm while also serving to present or represent something distinctively
3. An item that serves to shield or cloak another from observation or injury while potentially offering representation or artistic expression

Etymology: The English verb "cover" arrived through French from a Latin compound that meant "to cover completely." Latin "cooperiō" joined the intensive prefix "co-" to "operiō," meaning "to close" or "to cover," and the Late Latin "coperire" passed into Old French as "covrir," which English borrowed as the Middle English "coveren." English already had plenty of words for covering, including "thecchen," "helen," "wrien," and "hodren," but the French loan pushed most of them aside. The deeper surprise is that "cover" originally meant "hide from view," a sense still preserved in its relative "covert." Shelter and protection came later, which is why a layer that protects is only one of its descendants.

Synonyms: shield, protect, envelop, conceal, mask

Antonyms: reveal, expose, uncover, show, disclose