rover

noun
/ˈɹəʊvə/UK/ˈɹoʊvɚ/US/ˈɾovəɾ/

Etymology

From Late Middle English rover, rovere (“pirate”), borrowed from Middle Dutch rôver, rôvere (from rôven (“to pillage, plunder, rob”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs)), or Middle Low German rōver (“plunderer, robber; pirate, reaver”) (from rōven (“to pillage, plunder, rob”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs)), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *raubōną (“to plunder, rob, steal”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- (“to break, tear (up)”). Doublet of reaver. cognates * Danish røver (“brigand, highwayman, robber, thief”) * German Räuber * Norwegian røver (“brigand, highwayman, robber, thief”)

  1. derived from *Hrewp- — “to break, tear (up)
  2. derived from *raubōną — “to plunder, rob, steal
  3. derived from rōver — “plunderer, robber; pirate, reaver
  4. derived from rôver
  5. inherited from rover

Definitions

  1. One who roves

    One who roves: a person or animal that travels around, especially over a wide area, without a fixed destination; a nomad, a roamer, a wanderer.

  2. A restless, unsteady person who does not settle down

    A restless, unsteady person who does not settle down; specifically (historical), a flirtatious, unfaithful man; a rake.

    • Near-synonyms: see Thesaurus:libertine
    • She is a rover and dislikes any sort of ties, physical or emotional.
    • Give him the word, that I'm not a rover, and tell him that his lonely days are over.
  3. Also rover ticket

    Also rover ticket: a person who has a ticket for an event, performance, etc., but no assigned seat, and so has to find a place to sit or stand.

  4. + 23 more definitions
    1. A small manned or unmanned land vehicle for exploring extraterrestrial bodies.

    2. A defensive back position whose coverage responsibilities are a combination of those of a…

      A defensive back position whose coverage responsibilities are a combination of those of a cornerback, linebacker, and safety; also, a player playing this position.

      • I went to Coach Beamer and, because we had a lot of outside linebackers, ask him if I could play rover.
    3. Chiefly in the plural in the form to shoot at rovers

      Chiefly in the plural in the form to shoot at rovers: a target randomly selected by an archer, usually for practice; also, a fixed target for practising long-distance shooting.

    4. A type of heavy arrow used for long-distance shooting.

      • All sorts, flights, rovers, and butt shafts.
    5. A position that is one of three of a team's followers making up a ruck, who follow the…

      A position that is one of three of a team's followers making up a ruck, who follow the ball around the ground; also, a player playing this position, who is generally fast and skilful at receiving the ball, and formerly of shorter stature.

    6. In full rover ball

      In full rover ball: a ball which has passed through all the hoops and would peg out if it hit the stake but is continued in play to help fellow players or obstruct opposing players; also, the player of such a ball.

    7. Alternative letter-case form of Rover (“an early type of safety bicycle with a lower…

      Alternative letter-case form of Rover (“an early type of safety bicycle with a lower riding position than previous models”).

    8. A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

    9. Alternative letter-case form of Rover (“Short for Land Rover (“a type of road vehicle…

      Alternative letter-case form of Rover (“Short for Land Rover (“a type of road vehicle capable of being driven off-road”)”).

    10. The tenth defensive player in slow-pitch softball.

    11. A forward whose responsibility was to feed the scrum and protect the scrum-half

      A forward whose responsibility was to feed the scrum and protect the scrum-half; the position was abandoned after a 1931 rule change.

    12. Alternative letter-case form of Rover (“Short for Rover Scout (“a member of a Scouting…

      Alternative letter-case form of Rover (“Short for Rover Scout (“a member of a Scouting organization for young men too old to be Boy Scouts”)”).

    13. Especially in rover ticket

      Especially in rover ticket: a type of pass, ticket, etc., that allows the holder unlimited travel on certain types of public transport for specified periods.

    14. In full rover patrol

      In full rover patrol: an airborne reconnaissance patrol.

    15. A pirate.

      • Diogenes vvill deſpiſe thee for all that, vvho being expoſed and offered to ſale by the rovers and theeves that tooke him, cried and proclaimed himſelfe aloud: VVho vvill buy a maſter who?
      • Tripoli is alſo a ſeat of a Turkiſh Viceroy or Beglerbeg, and of Turkiſh Rouers.
    16. A pirate ship.

      • [W]hen coming Home again from the Banks of Nevvfoundland, vve vvere taken by an Algerine Rover, or Man of VVar; […]
    17. A plunderer, a raider, a robber.

      • [H]ee began to rob and ſpoyle with a great band of rouers, and afterward he attempted to ſet vpon all men.
      • A Rover tooke him unprepared, / Search't his Port-mantua, bound him faſter, / And ſent him naked to his Maſter: […]
    18. One who forms cotton, wool, or other fibres into rovings (“long, narrow bundles of…

      One who forms cotton, wool, or other fibres into rovings (“long, narrow bundles of fibres”), specifically using a roving frame in a mill.

    19. A machine used to make rovings, especially a roving frame.

      • The cotton being spread upon one of the cards, it was repeatedly combed with another till all the fibres were laid straight, when it was stripped off the card in a fleecy roll ready for the rover.
    20. Someone connected with any number of teams called the Rovers, as a fan, player, coach etc.

    21. A member of the senior section of the Boy Scout movement catering for men of age 18…

      A member of the senior section of the Boy Scout movement catering for men of age 18 upwards, now disbanded.

    22. A stereotypical given name for a dog.

      • Thor jumped off the sledge to undo the gate, and as we merrily drove up to the door we were met by the boisterous welcome of old Rover, who in his frantic joy at hearing my voice almost broke his chain in trying to rush at me.
    23. A former make of a British motorcar.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for rover. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA