c. 1400, hoveren, frequentative of hoven "hover, tarry, linger;" see hove (v.1). Related: Hovered; hovering. As a noun from 1510s.
Entries linking to hover
hove v.1
mid-13c., of birds, "remain suspended in air;" also generally, "to float, rise to the surface;" from c. 1300 as "wait in readiness or expectation;" late 14c. as "loom protectively over," also figurative, of unknown origin. In Middle English often of ships at anchor, standing off a coast. Common 13c.-16c., then superseded by its derivative, hover (v.)).
hovercraft n.
1959, from hover (v.) + craft (n.).
windhover n.
"kestrel," 1670s, from wind (n.1) + hover; so called from the bird's habit of hovering in the wind. Among the many early names for it was windfucker (1590s).