Etymologically
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liver

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlɪvə/ (UK); /ˈlɪvɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English lifer,[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *librō,[3][5] source also of Old Norse lifr, Old Frisian livere, Dutch lever and German Leber,[3][2] perhaps from PIE Proto-Indo-European *leip- (“to stick, adhere; fat”), also the root of Greek lipos, fat;[3][4] Hoad finds no certain cognates.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The large glandular organ: about 888 in the OED, before 899, in Alfred's translation of Boethius, in Barnhart.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

In medieval times the liver rivalled the heart as the supposed seat of love and passion.[3] A white, bloodless liver was thought a sign of cowardice (1390), hence lily-livered.[6][3] Disposition or temperament is from 1800,[6] and a liver complaint from 1805.[6] The liver as food is a common later use.[7][8] Liver spots, once thought caused by a disordered liver, are from 1730.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 888 – the organ.[6]
  • 1390 – a white liver, cowardice.[6]
  • 1730 – liver spots.[3]
  • 1805 – a liver complaint.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A large gland in the abdomen that secretes bile and processes nutrients and toxins.
  2. The liver of an animal, eaten as food.
  3. A reddish-brown colour.

Word family

  • liverless
  • liverwurst
  • liverwort
  • liverish
  • lily-livered
  • liverleaf
  • liver sausage
  • hepatic

Usage notes

A separate liver, a person who lives in a particular way, as a clean liver, is from the late 14th century, from live and -er.[3][9]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  9. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press