An archaic or dialectal term for young sow (female pig) or a silvery fish.
Origin uncertain, possibly from Middle English or Old English dialectal terms. May be related to Old Norse 'gyltr' (young sow) or corrupted from silver-colored appearance of certain fish. Usage was primarily regional and has largely disappeared from modern English.
Gilver is a perfect example of how English has so many forgotten animal names—most English speakers don't know we once had specific words for young pigs at different life stages, showing how detailed medieval farmers' vocabulary was compared to ours today.
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