Adjacent Words

Plover definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PLOV'ER, n. [L. pluvialis, rainy; pluo, to rain.]
The common name of several species of birds that frequent the banks of rivers and the sea shore, belonging to the genus Charadrius.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of numerous chiefly shorebirds of relatively compact build having straight bills and large pointed wings; closely related to the sandpipers

Merriam Webster's

noun (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

Britannica Concise

Any of about 36 species (family Charadriidae, order Charadriiformes) of plump-breasted shorebirds found almost worldwide. Plovers are 6-12 in. (15-30 cm) long and have long wings, longish legs, a short neck, and a straight, short bill. Many species are plain brown, gray, or sandy above and whitish below. Others, incl. the golden and black-bellied plovers, are finely patterned above and black below in breeding season. Many species run along the shoreline, snapping up small aquatic invertebrates. They have a melodious whistled call. Both parents incubate the two to five eggs and care for the young. See also killdeer.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. any plump-breasted wading bird of the family Charadriidae, including the lapwing, usu. having a pigeon-like bill. Etymology: ME & AF f. OF plo(u)vier ult. f. L pluvia rain

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plover Plov"er, n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadrid[ae], and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrins[ae]. They are prized as game birds. 2. (Zo["o]l.) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover (Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover (Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers. Note: Among the more important species are the blackbellied, or blackbreasted, plover (Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring or ringed plover ([AE]gialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover ([AE]gialitis meloda); Wilson's plover ([AE]. Wilsonia); the mountain plover ([AE]. montana); and the semipalmated plover ([AE]. semipalmata), are all small American species. Bastard plover (Zo["o]l.), the lapwing. Long-legged, or yellow-legged, plover. See Tattler. Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] Rock plover, or Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] Whistling plover. (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied plover.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plover Plov"er, n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadrid[ae], and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrins[ae]. They are prized as game birds. 2. (Zo["o]l.) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover (Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover (Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers. Note: Among the more important species are the blackbellied, or blackbreasted, plover (Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring or ringed plover ([AE]gialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover ([AE]gialitis meloda); Wilson's plover ([AE]. Wilsonia); the mountain plover ([AE]. montana); and the semipalmated plover ([AE]. semipalmata), are all small American species. Bastard plover (Zo["o]l.), the lapwing. Long-legged, or yellow-legged, plover. See Tattler. Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] Rock plover, or Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] Whistling plover. (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied plover.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prairie Prai"rie, n. [F., an extensive meadow, OF. praerie, LL. prataria, fr. L. pratum a meadow.] 1. An extensive tract of level or rolling land, destitute of trees, covered with coarse grass, and usually characterized by a deep, fertile soil. They abound throughout the Mississippi valley, between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains. From the forests and the prairies, From the great lakes of the northland. --Longfellow. 2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow. Prairie chicken (Zo["o]l.), any American grouse of the genus Tympanuchus, especially T. Americanus (formerly T. cupido), which inhabits the prairies of the central United States. Applied also to the sharp-tailed grouse. Prairie clover (Bot.), any plant of the leguminous genus Petalostemon, having small rosy or white flowers in dense terminal heads or spikes. Several species occur in the prairies of the United States. Prairie dock (Bot.), a coarse composite plant (Silphium terebinthaceum) with large rough leaves and yellow flowers, found in the Western prairies. Prairie dog (Zo["o]l.), a small American rodent (Cynomys Ludovicianus) allied to the marmots. It inhabits the plains west of the Mississippi. The prairie dogs burrow in the ground in large warrens, and have a sharp bark like that of a dog. Called also prairie marmot. Prairie grouse. Same as Prairie chicken, above. Prairie hare (Zo["o]l.), a large long-eared Western hare (Lepus campestris). See Jack rabbit, under 2d Jack. Prairie hawk, Prairie falcon (Zo["o]l.), a falcon of Western North America (Falco Mexicanus). The upper parts are brown. The tail has transverse bands of white; the under parts, longitudinal streaks and spots of brown. Prairie hen. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie chicken, above. Prairie itch (Med.), an affection of the skin attended with intense itching, which is observed in the Northern and Western United States; -- also called swamp itch, winter itch. Prairie marmot. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie dog, above. Prairie mole (Zo["o]l.), a large American mole (Scalops argentatus), native of the Western prairies. Prairie pigeon, plover, or snipe (Zo["o]l.), the upland plover. See Plover, n., 2. Prairie rattlesnake (Zo["o]l.), the massasauga. Prairie snake (Zo["o]l.), a large harmless American snake (Masticophis flavigularis). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above. Prairie squirrel (Zo["o]l.), any American ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus, inhabiting prairies; -- called also gopher. Prairie turnip (Bot.), the edible turnip-shaped farinaceous root of a leguminous plant (Psoralea esculenta) of the Upper Missouri region; also, the plant itself. Called also pomme blanche, and pomme de prairie. Prairie warbler (Zo["o]l.), a bright-colored American warbler (Dendroica discolor). The back is olive yellow, with a group of reddish spots in the middle; the under parts and the parts around the eyes are bright yellow; the sides of the throat and spots along the sides, black; three outer tail feathers partly white. Prairie wolf. (Zo["o]l.) See Coyote.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(plovers) A plover is a bird with a rounded body, a short tail, and a short beak that is found by the sea or by lakes. N-COUNT