from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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. (Zool.) 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.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Zool.) 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.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Among the more important species are the {blackbellied
plover} 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 plover} or {ringed plover}
({Aegialitis hiaticula}). See {Ringneck}. The {piping
plover} ({Aegialitis meloda}); {Wilson's plover}
({Aegialitis Wilsonia}); the {mountain plover}
({Aegialitis montana}); and the {semipalmated plover}
({Aegialitis semipalmata}), are all small American
species.
[1913 Webster]
{Bastard plover} (Zool.), the lapwing.
{Long-legged plover}, 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.
[1913 Webster] Plow