Lovells

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A plural reference to the family that carries the English surname Lovell ; a former name of the large international law firm now known as Hogan Lovells
2. Members of the Lovell family collectively ; the earlier title used by the London-based international legal practice that later merged into Hogan Lovells
3. The family of people sharing the Lovell surname ; the older branding of a major London law firm later combined under the name Hogan Lovells

Etymology: Before it was a surname, "Lovell" appears to have meant a young wolf. It comes from Old French "lovel," a diminutive of "lou," "wolf," which descends from Latin "lupus." Medieval Norman families took it as a personal name, and it spread through England with them. The sense that gives "lovells" its odd flavour is a contemptuous one. English used "lovel" for a worthless or good-for-nothing man, presumably a comparison of such a person to a wolf cub. The plural "lovells" is the form of that noun for several such people, though it is rarely heard today. Most people now meet the name as a surname, and the Lovell family of the late medieval period is the best-known bearer, through Francis Lovell, a prominent supporter of Richard III. Its surname use and its older common-noun sense are separate strands of the same French root.