grover
, gros + vair.
Searchable Lemmata: gro-ver (ME), grover (MdE).
Alternate Forms: grovair, Grouayr, grouer.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Raw Material;
untrimmed fur or fur of the whole animal (squirrel), probably representing Old French 'gros vair' (cf. vair). The MED suggests, '? the fur of the squirrel before being divided into the grey of the back and the white of the belly'; Elspeth Veale notes that grover is 'used, in constrast to menuvair [miniver], of the whole squirrel skin and therefore in effect equivalent to vair and bis' (1966: 228). Later MdE uses appear only in historical contexts.(circa 1310 - circa 1800 ?)
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Etymological Evidence:
Speculative, Probably representing Old French gros vair ('large' vair), and cf. medieval L grossus, grosso ('great') + vario. It's opposite, in many contexts, is 'menu vair' ('narrow' vair, miniver).
WF:
Etym Cog:
References:
