ˈləvə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from loven to love + -er
1.
a. : a person in love
a man came down to where his lover was — J.C.Hall
especially : a man in love with a girl or woman
her heart went out to him as to a lover — Sheila Kaye-Smith
b. lovers plural : two persons in love with each other
he'd sit with his arm round her waist and she with her head on his shoulder just like lovers — W.S.Maugham
2. : an affectionate or benevolent friend
not an ardent denominational ecclesiastic, but a broad-souled and eager lover of men — O.M.Buck
3. : an enthusiastic amateur : devotee
as a lover of truth, the national propaganda of all the belligerent nations sickened me — Bertrand Russell
a lifelong lover of the woodcock runs and trout streams — R.W.Hatch
a variety of subjects that will interest theater lovers — Henry Hewes
4. : paramour
she had chosen a bachelor girl's life, although she had children by lovers — Margaret C. Hubbard