ROVE

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. wander without a settled destination, roam, ramble. 2 intr. (of eyes) look in changing directions. 3 tr. wander over or through. --n. an act of roving (on the rove). ørove-beetle any long-bodied beetle of the family Staphylinidae, usu. found in decaying animal and vegetable matter. roving commission authority given to a person or persons conducting an inquiry to travel as may be necessary. roving eye a tendency to ogle or towards infidelity. [ME, orig. a term in archery = shoot at a casual mark with the range not determined, perh. f. dial. rave stray, prob. of Scand. orig.]