To wander or travel without a fixed destination; to roam freely. To move about in search of something or without a particular purpose.
Possibly from Middle Dutch 'roven' (to rob), originally meaning to wander as a pirate or robber. The neutral sense of wandering developed in the 16th century, losing the criminal connotation while retaining the idea of purposeless movement.
The transformation of 'rove' from meaning 'to pirate' to simply 'to wander' shows how words can shed their dark associations over time. A 'roving reporter' or 'roving eye' carries no hint of the maritime criminals who originally 'roved' the seas in search of plunder.
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