hover

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English hoveren (“to float in the air, hover; to stay”), probably from hoven (“hover; of a bird: to fly high in the air, soar”) (which it displaced) + -er- (frequentative suffix). Hoven is probably derived from Old English *hōfian, from hōfon, the plural past indicative form of hebban (“to lift, raise”), from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift; to heave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p- (“to hold, seize”). The English word is analysable as hove (“(obsolete) to remain suspended, float, hover; to linger, wait”) + -er (frequentative suffix). The noun is derived from the verb.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. To keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air.
   2. Of a bird: to shelter (chicks) under its body and wings; (by extension) of a thing: to cover or surround (something).
      Castration has a ſtrange effect: it emaſculates both man, beaſt, and bird, and brings them to a near reſemblance of the other ſex. […] Capons have ſmall combs and gills, and look pallid about the head, like pullets; they alſo vvalk vvithout any parade, and hover chickens like hens. 1789, Gil[bert] White, “Letter XXXII. To the Same.”, in The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, in the County of Southampton:[…], London: […] T[homas] Bensley; for B[enjamin] White and Son,[…], →OCLC, page 212
   3. (obsolete) Of a bird or insect: to flap (its wings) so it can remain stationary in the air.
2. (intransitive)
   1. To remain stationary or float in the air.
      The hummingbird hovered by the plant.
      [T]hough you go to Theaters to see sport, Cupid may cache you ere you departe. The little god hovereth aboute you, and fanneth you with his wings to kindle fire: when you are set as fixed whites, Desire draweth his arrow to the head, and sticketh it uppe to the fethers, and Fancy bestireth him to shed his poyson through every vayne. 1579, Stephen Gosson, “The Schoole of Abuse,[…]”, in The School of Abuse, Containing a Pleasant Invective against Poets, Pipers, Players, Jesters, &c.[…], London: […] [Frederic Shoberl, Jun.] for the Shakespeare Society, published 1841, →OCLC, page 49
      Thou hoveredst, like a guardian angel—healing in thy wings, and glad-tidings all around thee—over the poor lost-one. 1857, William Platt, “‘His Will Be Done!’”, in Mothers and Sons. A Story of Real Life.[…], volume I, London: Charles J. Skeet,[…], →OCLC, page 87
      Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America's discomfort and its foes' glee. An adjective use. 29 June 2013, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, London: Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-10-18, page 55
   2. (figurative)
      1. Sometimes followed by over: to hang around or linger in a place, especially in an uncertain manner.
         His pen hovered above the paper.
         The strange man hovered outside the gents’ toilet.
         The visitors were hovering at the door, seemingly unwilling to enter.
         Some helicopter parents weren’t so much dropping off their kids as hovering over them until the event started.
         [T]he fat swimmeth above, and the best thereof hovereth always uppermost; but the unclean matter, or the dregs is left at the bottom like a dead carcase and worthless thing. Even so likewise, God will deal at the day of judgment, therewith he will separate all things through fire, will separate the righteous from the ungodly, […] 1818, Martin Luther, “Of the Last Day of Judgment”, in Henry Bell, transl., edited by Joseph Kerby, The Familiar Discourses of Dr. Martin Luther, (the Great Reformer), which He Held with Various Learned Men at His Table, &c. on the Important Doctrines of Religion;[…], new edition, Lewes, East Sussex: Sussex Press,[…] John Baxter; London: Baldwin, Craddock, and Joy,[…], →OCLC, page 408
         "Overall satisfaction with rail journey", as measured fortnightly by Transport Focus, has maintained a broadly flat line at around 85% across the last four months of travel disruption, while "satisfaction with punctuality/reliabilty" is hovering around 75%. February 8 2023, Sir Michael Holden, “Comment: Boom or bust: time to decide”, in RAIL, number 976, page 3
      2. To be indecisive or uncertain; to vacillate, to waver.
         Filling in the voting form, I hovered between Labour and Liberal Democrat.
   3. (computing) Chiefly followed by over: to use a mouse or other device to place a cursor over something on a screen such as a hyperlink or icon without clicking, so as to produce a result (such as the appearance of a tooltip).
      A tooltip appears when you hover over this link.
   4. (nautical) To travel in a hovercraft as it moves above a water surface.

noun

1. An act, or the state, of remaining stationary in the air or some other place.
2. A flock of birds fluttering in the air in one place.
3. (figurative) An act, or the state, of being suspended; a suspension.
4. (chiefly Southern England) A cover; a protection; a shelter">shelter; specifically, an overhanging bank or stone under which fish can shelter">shelter; also, a shelter">shelter for hens brooding their eggs.