# liver

Pronunciation: US say "LIV-ur" /ˈlɪvɚ/; UK say "LIV-uh" /ˈlɪvə/

## Noun

1. The organ of an animal, prepared and eaten as food.
   - Simple: The organ of an animal such as a cow or chicken, cooked and eaten as food.
   - _The butcher sliced fresh liver for the customer._
   - _Calf's liver is often served lightly fried with herbs._
2. A large organ of the body that stores and processes nutrients, breaks down toxins, and makes bile; in all, it carries out thousands of biochemical reactions.
   - Simple: A large organ in the body that stores nutrients, removes harmful substances, and makes bile to help digest food.
   - _The liver filters toxins from the bloodstream around the clock._
   - _Surgeons removed part of the patient's liver during the operation._
3. A dark brown color, tinted with red and gray, resembling the color of cooked liver.
   - Simple: A dark brown color with a hint of red and gray.
   - _The decorator mixed a rich liver for the study's paneling._
   - _Under the lamp, the curtains shaded from brown into a deep liver._

## Adjective

4. Of a dark brown color, tinted with red and gray, like that of liver.
   - Simple: Having a dark brown color with some red and gray in it.
   - _The spaniel's liver markings made it easy to spot in the field._
   - _She admired the liver leather of the antique armchair._
5. Comparative form of live. Rare; more live is the usual form. — comparative form of live: more live (pronounced: US say "LY-vur" /ˈlaɪvɚ/; UK say "LY-vuh" /ˈlaɪvə/)
   - Simple: Comparative form of live. Rare: people usually say more live.

## Noun

6. A person who lives, usually in some specified manner. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A person who lives their life in a certain way.
   - _He was a high liver who spent every penny on pleasure._
   - _As a quiet liver, she preferred evenings at home to crowded parties._
7. A resident of a particular place or kind of place, such as the country or an island. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A person who lives in a certain place.
   - _She became a true island liver, adapting to the slow pace of life there._
   - _The country livers came into town for the market every Saturday morning._
8. A person who is currently alive; one of the living. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A person who is alive, one of the living.
   - _He counted himself a fortunate liver after surviving the shipwreck._
   - _The plague spared few livers in the crowded port that summer._
9. Any of several compounds, especially sulfides, whose color was thought to be like that of liver. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Certain chemicals, especially sulfides, once thought to look like the color of liver.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 9** — From Middle English lyver, from Old English lifer ("liver"), going back through Proto-Germanic *librō to a Proto-Indo-European root *leyp- ("to smear, stick"). It is cognate with Dutch lever, German Leber, and the Scandinavian lever, and is related to live.
**Meanings 6–8** — From Middle English lyvere, formed from the verb live plus the suffix -er.
**Meaning 5** — Formed from live (adjective) plus the suffix -(e)r.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/liver (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).