rover

¹

[ roh-ver ]

noun

1. a person who roves; wanderer.
2. Archery.
   1. a mark selected at random, as in a competition between two archers wandering over a specified area.
   2. one of a group of fixed marks at a long distance.
   3. an archer who shoots at such a mark.
3. Croquet. a ball that has been driven through all the arches and needs only to strike the last peg to be out of the game.
4. British.
   1. (at concerts or the like) a person who has a ticket for standing room only.
   2. a senior boy scout, 18 years of age or older.

rover

²

[ roh-ver ]

noun

1. a pirate.
2. Obsolete. a pirate ship.

rover

³

[ roh-ver ]

noun

1. a machine that twists, draws out, and cleans fibers prior to spinning; a roving machine.
2. a roving-machine operator.

Rover

⁴

[ roh-ver ]

noun

1. a familiar name for a dog.

rover

¹

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. a machine for roving wool, cotton, etc, or a person who operates such a machine

Rover

²

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. the former name for Venture Scout

rover

³

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. a person who roves; wanderer
2. archery a mark selected at random for use as a target
3. croquet a ball that has been driven through all the hoops but has not yet hit the winning peg
4. Australian rules football one of the three players in the ruck, usually smaller than the other two, selected for his agility in play
5. a small remote-controlled vehicle which roams over rough, esp extraterrestrial, terrain taking photographs, gathering rock and soil samples, etc

rover

⁴

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. a pirate or pirate ship

Word History and Origins

Origin of rover¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; rove ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of rover²

First recorded in 1350–1400 rover ²fordef 1 and in 1530–40 rover ²fordef 2; Middle English rover(e) “pirate,” from Middle Dutch rover(e) or Middle Low German rover “robber,” equivalent to roven “to rob” + -er; reave ¹; -er ¹( def )

Origin of rover³

First recorded in 1735–45; rove ³ + -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rover¹

C18: from rove ²

Origin of rover²

C15: from rove ¹

Origin of rover³

C14: probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, from roven to rob

Example Sentences

Russian and Soviet lunar landers used cork to help the rover have grip as it was descending to the surface, he added.

From BBC

In 2021, China safely landed a spacecraft on Mars and released its Zhurong rover – becoming just the second nation to do so.

From BBC

By measuring the time it takes radio signals to travel from Earth to spacecraft orbiting Mars, or to rovers on its surface, scientists can calculate the red planet’s distance from Earth within two feet.

From Los Angeles Times

“They were really exciting times. Sitting in the control room, moving the rover around on the lunar surface - that was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Prof Vadawale.

From BBC

The Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have each shown that the planet’s early environment was suitable for microbial life.

From Salon