What is "laver"

Laver \Lav"er\ (l[=a]"v[~e]r), n. [OE. lavour, F. lavoir, L. lavatorium a washing place. See Lavatory.]

1. A vessel for washing; a large basin.

2. (Script. Hist.)

   1. A large brazen vessel placed in the court of the Jewish tabernacle where the officiating priests washed their hands and feet.

   2. One of several vessels in Solomon's Temple in which the offerings for burnt sacrifices were washed.

3. That which washes or cleanses.
   --J. H. Newman.

Laver \La"ver\ (l[=a]"v[~e]r), n. The fronds of certain marine alg[ae] used as food, and for making a sauce called laver sauce. Green laver is the Ulva latissima; purple laver, Porphyra laciniata and Porphyra vulgaris. It is prepared by stewing, either alone or with other vegetables, and with various condiments; -- called also sloke, or sloakan.

Mountain laver (Bot.), a reddish gelatinous alga of the genus Palmella, found on the sides of mountains

Laver \Lav"er\, n. [From Lave to wash.] One who laves; a washer. [Obs.]

Etymology 1 n. A red alga/seaweed of the genus ''Porphyra'', eaten as a vegetable. Etymology 2

n. 1 A basin for washing. 2 One who laves; a washer. 3 That which washes or cleanses.

Laver may refer to:

• Rod Laver, an Australian professional tennis player
• Laver (seaweed), a type of algae
• Laver (surname), and persons with the name
• River Laver, a river in North Yorkshire, England
• Lavatorium, a washing facility in a monastery
• A basin for ritual purification

Laver is an edible, littoral alga ( seaweed). In Wales, laver is used for making laverbread, a traditional Welsh dish. Laver as food is also commonly found around the west coast of Great Britain and east coast of Ireland along the Irish Sea, where it is also known as slake. It is smooth in texture and forms delicate, sheetlike thalli, often clinging to rocks. The principal variety is purple laver (Porphyra umbilicalis). Purple laver is classified as a red alga, tends to be a brownish colour, but boils down to a dark green pulp when prepared. It is unusual amongst seaweeds because the fronds are only one cell thick. Laver has a high content of dietary minerals, particularly iodine and iron. The high iodine content gives the seaweed a distinctive flavour in common with olives and oysters.

Porphyra is also consumed in East Asia, where it is known as zicai (紫菜) in China, in Japan, and gim (김) in Korea.

Ulva lactuca, a green alga, also known as sea lettuce, is occasionally eaten as green laver, which is regarded as inferior to the purple laver.

Laver is a ghost town located about 15 km southwest of Vidsel and 50 km west of Älvsbyn in Sweden which existed between 1936 and 1947. It was a mining community where copper was extracted. About 350 people lived there at most. The operations of the Laver mine ended on 4 November 1946.

Laver is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Arnold Laver, timber merchant
• Frank Laver, cricketer
• James Laver, fashion historian, writer and curator
• Michael Laver, academic, author and political scientist
• Rod Laver, tennis player
• Richard Laver, mathematician