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definitions

louvre

[ loo-ver ]
/ ˈlu vər /
|

noun, verb (used with object), lou·vred, lou·vring. Chiefly British.

louver.

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Nearby words

  1. louvar,
  2. louver,
  3. louver board,
  4. louvertie,
  5. louvière, la,
  6. louvred,
  7. louÿs,
  8. louÿs, pierre,
  9. lovable,
  10. lovage

Definition for louvre (2 of 3)

Louvre

[ loo-vruh ]
/ ˈlu vrə /

noun

a national museum in Paris, France, since 1793: formerly a royal palace.
Can be confusedlouver Louvre lover

Definition for louvre (3 of 3)

louver

[ loo-ver ]
/ ˈlu vər /

noun

any of a series of narrow openings framed at their longer edges with slanting, overlapping fins or slats, adjustable for admitting light and air while shutting out rain.
a fin or slat framing such an opening.
a ventilating turret or lantern, as on the roof of a medieval building.
any of a system of slits formed in the hood of an automobile, the door of a metal locker, etc., used especially for ventilation.
a door, window, or the like, having adjustable louvers.

verb (used with object)

to make a louver in; add louvers to: to louver a door.
Also especially British, lou·vre.

Origin of louver

1325–75; Middle English lover < Middle French lovier < Middle Dutch love gallery. See lobby
Related formslou·vered, adjective
Can be confusedlouver Louvre lover
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for louvre

British Dictionary definitions for louvre (1 of 2)

louvre

US louver

/ (ˈluːvə) /

noun

  1. any of a set of horizontal parallel slats in a door or window, sloping outwards to throw off rain and admit air
  2. Also called: louvre boards the slats together with the frame supporting them
architect a lantern or turret that allows smoke to escape

Word Origin for louvre

C14: from Old French lovier, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for louvre (2 of 2)

Louvre

/ (French luvrə) /

noun

the national museum and art gallery of France, in Paris: formerly a royal palace, begun in 1546; used for its present purpose since 1793
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 louvre

louver

n.

also louvre, early 14c., "domed turret-like structure atop a building to disperse smoke and admit light," from Old French lovier, of uncertain origin. One theory connects it to Medieval Latin *lodarium, which might be from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German louba "upper room, roof;" see lobby). Another suggests it is from French l'ouvert, literally "the open place," from le, definite article, + past participle of ouvrir "to open." Meaning "overlapping strips in a window (to let in air but keep out rain)" first recorded 1550s. The form has been influenced by apparently unrelated French Louvre, the name of the palace in Paris, which is said to be so named because its builder, Philip Augustus, intended it as a wolf kennel. Related: Louvered.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture definitions for louvre

Louvre

[ (loohv, loohv-ruh) ]

An art museum in Paris, formerly a royal palace. The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and thousands of other works of art are exhibited there.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.