English
rove
Rove may come from Middle English *roven.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*rovenuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1589rove
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*rovenuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1589rove
Earliest quotation: 1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations: “pirates, roving up and downe the sea”.
Linked words
through Middle English raven ‘to wander’
Today it means
verb To shoot with arrows (at).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English *roven / rove