Emily Dickinson Lexicon

EV'ER, adv. [Sax. æfre, efre.]

1. At any time; at any period or point of time, past or future. Have you ever seen the city of Paris, or shall you ever see it? No man ever yet hated his own flesh. Eph. v.
2. At all times; always; continually. He shall ever love, and always be / The subject of my scorn and cruelty. Dryden. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. Ps. cxi. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim. iii.
3. Forever, eternally; to perpetuity; during everlasting continuance. This is my name forever. Ex. iii. In a more lax sense, this word signifies continually, for an indefinite period. His master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. Ex. xxi. These words are sometimes repeated, for the sake of emphasis; forever and ever, or forever and forever. Pope. Shak.
4. Ever and anon, at one time and another; now and then. Dryden.
5. In any degree. No man is ever the richer or happier for injustice. Let no man fear that creature ever the less, because he sees the apostle safe from his poison. Hall. In modern usage, this word is used for never, but very improperly. And all the question, wrangle e'er so long, / Is only this, if God has placed him wrong. Pope. This ought to be, ne'er so long, as the phrase is always used in the Anglo-Saxon, and in our version of the Scriptures, that is, so long as never, so long as never before, to any length of time indefinitely. Ask me never so much dowry. Charmers, charming never so wisely. These are the genuine English phrases. Let them charm so wisely as never before.
6. A word of enforcement or emphasis; thus, as soon as ever he had done it; as like him as ever he can look. They broke all their bones in pieces or ever they came to the bottom of the den. Dan. vi. [or is a misprint. It should be ere, that is, before. See ere.]
7. In poetry, and sometimes in prose, ever is contracted into e'er. Ever in composition signifies always or continually, without intermission, or to eternity.