Cover thy head . . . ; nay, prithee, be covered.
Shak.
11. To copulate with (a female); to serve; as, a horse covers a mare; -- said of the male.
To cover ground or distance, to pass over; as, the rider covered the ground in an hour. -- To cover one's short contracts (Stock Exchange), to buy stock when the market rises, as a dealer who has sold short does in order to protect himself. -- Covering party (Mil.), a detachment of troops sent for the protection of another detachment, as of men working in the trenches. -- To cover into, to transfer to; as, to cover into the treasury.
Syn. -- To shelter; screen; shield; hide; overspread.
Cov"er (k?v"?r), n. 1. Anything which is laid, set, or spread, upon, about, or over, another thing; an envelope; a lid; as, the cover of a book.
2. Anything which veils or conceals; a screen; disguise; a cloak. "Under cover of the night." Macaulay.
A handsome cover for imperfections.
Collier.
3. Shelter; protection; as, the troops fought under cover of the batteries; the woods afforded a good cover.
Being compelled to lodge in the field . . . whilst his army was under cover, they might be forced to retire.
Clarendon.
4. (Hunting) The woods, underbrush, etc., which shelter and conceal game; covert; as, to beat a cover; to ride to cover.
5. That portion of a slate, tile, or shingle, which is hidden by the overlap of the course above. Knight.