n.
Pronunciation: ' pl ə -v ə r, ' pl ō -
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural plover or plovers
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French plover, pluvier, from Vulgar Latin *pluviarius, from Latin pluvia rain ― more at PLUVIAL
Date: 14th century
1 : any of a family (Charadriidae) of shorebirds that differ from the sandpipers in having a short hard-tipped bill and usually a stouter more compact build
2 : any of various birds (as a turnstone or sandpiper) related to the plovers