loverwiseadv.
/ˈlʌvəwʌɪz/, U.S. /ˈləvərˌwaɪz/ Now rare.
In the manner of a lover or lovers.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [adverb]
loverlya1513
loverwise1682
loverlike1894
1682 M. Atkins Cataplus 86 His looks were bad, With folded arms and lover-wise Having his Hat down o're his eyes.
1872 W. D. Howells Their Wedding Journey vii. 189 They sat down here loverwise.
1897 W. J. Locke Derelicts ix. 116 He said it loverwise, and dignitary though he was, with a touch of a lover's fatuity.
1916 E. W. Wilcox World Voices 85 Lover-wise they strolled and talked.
1967 M. Chatterjee Spring & Spectacle 17 I straddle you loverwise with harsh demanding words.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1682