covie

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: kŭvʹē, IPA^(key): /ˈkʌvi/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌvi
• Hyphenation: cov‧ie

Etymology 1

See covey.

Noun

covie (plural covies)

1. Obsolete spelling of covey [17th–18th c.]

Verb

covie (third-person singular simple present covies, present participle covying, simple past and past participle covied)

1. (intransitive) Alternative spelling of covey (“to gather into a group”)
   • 1649, Edw[ard] Burton, “Of the Triall of Faith and Friendship”, in The Fathers Legacy: Or Burtons Collections. […], London: […] John Clowes, for Mathew Walbancke […], →OCLC, page 117:

     Our fortunes and our ſelves, are things ſo cloſely linked, that vve knovv not vvhich is the cauſe of the love that vve finde, vvhen theſe tvvo ſhall part, vve may then diſcover to vvhich of them affection vvill make vvinge; vvhen they are covied together vve knovv not vvhich is in purſuit; vvhen they riſe and breake, vve ſhall then ſee vvhich is aimed at.

   • 1832 January, Charles May, “Sonnets. Day-break on the Scotch Coast.”, in The Pocket Magazine, volume I, London: James Robins & Co. […], →OCLC, sonnet no. I, page 252:

     The lapwing's covied tribes forsake / The fens, to seek the glassy lake.

     An adjective use.

Etymology 2

A variant of couve, cove, possibly influenced by covey (“brood or family of partridges”).

Verb

covie (third-person singular simple present covies, present participle covying, simple past and past participle covied)

1. (transitive, intransitive, also figurative, obsolete) Synonym of cove (“of a bird or other animal: to brood, cover, incubate, or sit over (eggs)”)
   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book IX.] Of Sea Tortoises, and How They are Taken.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 1st tome, London: […] Adam Islip, published 1635, →OCLC:

     Their [tortoises'] manner is to go aland, vvhere among the graſſe they lay egges as bigge as birds egs, to the number commonly of an hundred. […] [I]n the night time ſit upon them: they couvie a whole yeere before they hatch.

   • 1869, A[manda] M[etcalf] Bright, “The Cascade”, in The Three Bernices; or, Ansermo of the Crag, Philadelphia, Pa.: Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, […], →OCLC, page 87:

     Darling, of all the sweet thoughts that ever covied in thy heart and took wing from thy pretty lips, that is to me the noblest, sweetest, best.

Alternative forms

• couvey (obsolete)