Dictionary

louver en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• lo͞oʹvə (UK)
• /ˈluːvɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈluːvə/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• lo͞oʹvər (General-American)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English lover, from Old French lovier, lover (“skylight”), from Medieval Latin *lōdārium (attested as lōvārium), extension of lōdium, of unclear origin, but probably of Germanic origin and related to Frankish *laubijā (“shelter”). Compare Old Norse ljóri.

Meanings

1. A type of turret on the roof of certain medieval buildings designed to allow ventilation or the admission of light.
   • But darknesse dred and daily night did hover / Through all the inner parts, wherein they dwelt; / Ne lightned was with window, nor with lover, / But with continuall candle-light […]. 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
2. (in-plural) A series of sloping overlapping slats or boards which admit air and light but exclude rain etc.
3. Any of a system of slits, as in the hood of an automobile, for ventilation.

Forms

Deriveds

louvred · louvered

Relateds

jalousie

Translations (37)

nl luifel (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · sv kylargaller (a system of slits for ventilation) · ga lúvar (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · tr panjur (a ventilating turret or lantern) · fi säleikkö (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · pt lanternim (a ventilating turret or lantern) · da jalousi (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · tr hava yarığı (a ventilating turret or lantern) · sv huvventilator (a system of slits for ventilation) · ca persiana (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · bg жалузи (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · sv jalusi (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · it griglia a lamelle (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · fi säleikkö (a system of slits for ventilation) · sv jalusigaller (a system of slits for ventilation) · pt persiana (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · nl luifel (a system of slits for ventilation) · es rejilla (a system of slits for ventilation) · tr hava deliği (a ventilating turret or lantern) · it griglia a lamelle (a system of slits for ventilation) · enm lover (a ventilating turret or lantern) · da lamel (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · ru жалюзи́ (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · sv spjälverk (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · da jalousi (a ventilating turret or lantern) · da lamel (a ventilating turret or lantern) · it gelosia (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · pt grelha (a system of slits for ventilation) · es rejilla (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · ru жалюзи́ (a system of slits for ventilation) · pt veneziana (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window) · sv ventilationsgaller (a system of slits for ventilation) · de Lüftungsschlitz (a system of slits for ventilation) · nl luifel (a ventilating turret or lantern) · de Lüftungsgitter (a ventilating turret or lantern) · da lyre (a ventilating turret or lantern) · it persiana (a slatted opening in a wall, door or window)