Main Entry: ¹liv·er

Pronunciation: \ˈli-vər\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lifer; akin to Old High German lebra liver

Date: before 12th century

1 a : a large very vascular glandular organ of vertebrates that secretes bile and causes important changes in many of the substances contained in the blood (as by converting sugars into glycogen which it stores up until required and by forming urea) b : any of various large compound glands associated with the digestive tract of invertebrate animals and probably concerned with the secretion of digestive enzymes
2 archaic : a determinant of the quality or temper of a man
3 : the liver of an animal (as a calf or chicken) eaten as food
4 : a grayish reddish brown —called also liver brown, liver maroon