Rove, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Roved; p. pr. & vb. n. Roving.]
Etymology: [Cf. D. rooven to rob; akin to E. reave. See Reave Rob.]
1. To practice robbery on the seas;to wander about on the seas in piracy. [Obs.] Hakluyt.
2. Hence, to wander; to ramble; to rauge; to go, move, or pass without certain direction in any manner, by sailing, walking, riding, flying, or otherwise. For who has power to walk has power to rove. Arbuthnot.
3. (Archery)
To shoot at rovers; hence, to shoot at an angle of elevation, not at point-blank (rovers usually being beyond the point-blank range). Fair Venusson that with thy cruel dart At that good knoght cunningly didst rove. Spenser.
1 more senses
Syn. -- To wander; roam; range; ramble stroll.
4 other Webster entries under this spelling
Rove, v. t.
1. To draw through an eye or aperture.
2. To draw out into falkes; to card, as wool. Jamieson.
3. To twist slightly; to bring together, as slivers of wool or cotton, and twist slightly before spinning.
Rove, n.
1. A copper washer upon which the end of a nail is clinched in boat building.
2. A roll or sliver of wool or cotton drawn out and
Rove, v. t.
1. To wander over or through. Roving the field, i chanced A goodly tree far distant to behold. milton.
2. To plow into ridges by turning the earth of two furrows together.
Rove, n.
The act of wandering; a ramble. In thy nocturnal rove one moment halt. Young. Rove beetle (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of beetles of the family Staphylinidæ, having short elytra beneath which the wings are folded transversely. They are rapid runners, and seldom fly.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for rove; he lists it under wander.
Where he writes about it:
Range, roam, and rove imply the traversing of considerable, often of vast, distances of land or sea; range commonly implies a purpose; as, cattle range for food; a hunting-dog ranges a field for game. — from wander
Roam and rove are often purposeless, and always without definite aim. — from wander