Sunday, March 02, 2008

Word of the Week over at REDEFiNE iT (March 1 -7) livyer

This week's word of the week over at our REDEFiNE iT Blog and on the sister facebook group is livyer.

According to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:

livyer

livyer n also liver, livere, liveyer, liveyere, livier [phonetics unavailable]. Cp DAE liver 'inhabitant, resident' (1678-1850), EDD liver sb1 1 'dweller' s w cties: var livier Do So D, livyer D; O Sup2 liveyere (Nfld: 1863-); DC liveyere Nfld 2 (1946-) for sense 1, 1 (1905-) for sense 2. See OED -ier. Cp LOVYER, MILLIER, SHOREYER. 1 A permanent settler of coastal Newfoundland (as opposed to migratory fisherman from England). 1745 CAREW 30 Bampfylde ... this Trip visited St John's, Torbay, Kitty-Vitty Harbour and Bay Bulls, very industriously remarking their Situations and Anchorage, and making himself fully acquainted with the Names, Circumstances and Characters of all the Inhabitants and Livers of any Account therein. [1759] 1895 PROWSE 295-6 The men mentioned in the margin [are] to repair to work on the said church from the date hereof to the 4th day of November next, as it appears that they are livers in this place and have not subscribed towards the building of the same. 1850 [FEILD] 27 The whole settlement [of Burnt Islands, S W coast] has sprung up within ten years, and now there are nearly one hundred 'livers' or settled inhabitants.

To read the rest of the post for this week's word of the week over at our REDEFiNE iT Blog click here.