coverture

[ kuhv-er-cher ]

/ ˈkʌv ər tʃər /

noun

a cover or covering; shelter; concealment.

Law. the status of a married woman considered as under the protection and authority of her husband.

Nearby words

Origin of coverture

1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French. See covert, -ure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coverture

A woman needed protection, or as the law of England has it, coverture.
Judges and Ruth|Robert A. Watson
Sholto felt nervously for his sword and cleared it instinctively of the coverture in which he was wrapped.
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett
Tennessee removed the disability of married women arising from coverture.
A Short History of Women's Rights|Eugene A. Hecker
The counterpane, or "coverture de parade," was of the curtain material.
Furnishing the Home of Good Taste|Lucy Abbot Throop

Richard remained under this coverture while he was anointed.
Richard II|Jacob Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for coverture

coverture

/ (ˈkʌvətʃə) /

noun

law the condition or status of a married woman considered as being under the protection and influence of her husband

rare shelter, concealment, or disguise

Word Origin for coverture

C13: from Old French, from covert covered; see covert

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for coverture

coverture

early 13c., earliest reference is to bedcovers, from Old French coverture (12c.) "blanket; roof; concealment," from Latin *coopertura, from past participle stem of cooperire "to cover" (see cover (v.)). Most modern senses had evolved by mid-15c.