Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “roving” come from?

roving (English) comes from English Rove, from English rōw, from English roll, from Middle English rolle, from Old French rolle, from Medieval Latin rotulus, from Latin rotula, from Arabic رَطْل.

roving (English): wandering freely; present participle of rove; A...

Definitions

  1. wandering freely; present participle of rove; A...

Ancestry of “roving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRove—
2Englishrōw—
3EnglishrollTo cause to revolve by turning over and over; to...
4Middle Englishrolle—
5Old Frenchrolleregistration
6Medieval Latinrotulusa roll, list, catalogue, schedule, record, a...
7Latinrotulaa small wheel; roll
8Arabicرَطْل—
9Classical Syriacܪܝܛܠܐ—
10Classical Syriacܠܝܛܪܐlibra, pound
11Frenchlitrelitre
12Medieval Latinlitra—
13Ancient Greekλίτραlitra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of...
14Proto-Italic*līðrā—

Words derived from “roving”

  • rovingly
  • rovingness
Every word from Proto-Italic *līðrā →