roving
noun
- long, narrow bundle of fiber
adjective
- constantly moving
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɹoʊvɪŋ/
adj
Etymology: Etymology tree English rove English -ing English roving From rove + -ing.
- Moving about; having no fixed or permanent abode; travelling from place to place.
“The Northern Territory was dear to us both, and the fever for a roving life had not yet worn off, but some time elapsed before we could quite make up our minds whether to try our fortunes in Port Darwin again or not.”
- Of the eyes or gaze, inspecting all over; not staying fixed on one subject.
“His roving eyes never focused on anything specific.”
“It could complicate things for our little household. Particularly when Larry’s roving eye is factored in.”
noun
Etymology: From rove (“sliver of wool or cotton”), late 17th century, possibly from obsolete Middle English rove(n) (“to draw out, pull off”), itself a dialectal variant of rive (“to tear, split”).
- A long and narrow bundle of fibre, usually used to spin woollen yarn or in felting.
- The process of giving the first twist to yarn.
verb
Etymology: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
- present participle and gerund of rove