rover

rover · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*webʰ-“to braid, weave”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wabōną
3. Old Norse · derived fromráfa“to roam, wander”
4. Middle English · inherited from*roven
5. English todayrover

From rove (“to roam, wander; (archery) to shoot an arrow randomly”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs). Rove is derived from Late Middle English *roven, rove (“to wander”); further etymology uncertain, possibly an English Midlands variant of Northern England raven, rave (“to rove, stray, wander”), possibly from Old Norse ráfa (“to roam, wander”) (although rove and rave are only attested much later), possibly from Proto-Germanic *wabōną, *wabjaną (“to cause to weave; to entangle, wrap”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to braid, weave”).

rover · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*Hrewp-“to break, tear (up)”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*raubōną“to plunder, rob, steal”
3. Middle Low German · derived fromrōver“plunderer, robber; pirate, reaver”
4. Middle Dutch · derived fromrôver
5. Middle English · inherited fromrover
6. English todayrover

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”)

rover · noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*Hreth₂-“to roll; to run”
2. Latin · derived fromrota“wheel”
3. English todayrover

From rove (“to card (wool or other fibres)”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs). Rove is probably a variant of row (“(Scotland, obsolete, rare) to make (cotton, wool, etc.) into rovings”), probably from row (“(Ireland, Scotland, archaic) rove or roving of cotton, wool, etc.”), probably a variant of roll (“thing which is rolled up”), ultimately from Latin rota (“wheel”) and Proto-Indo-European *Hreth₂- (“to roll; to run”).

Rover · noun, proper noun⁴

From rover.

Words from the same roots