[syn: squab, dove]
5. an emblem of peace;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Dive \Dive\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dived, colloq. Dove, a
relic of the AS. strong forms de['a]f, dofen; p. pr. & vb. n.
Diving.] [OE. diven, duven, AS. d?fan to sink, v. t., fr.
d?fan, v. i.; akin to Icel. d?fa, G. taufen, E. dip, deep,
and perh. to dove, n. Cf. Dip.]
1. To plunge into water head foremost; to thrust the body
under, or deeply into, water or other fluid.
[1913 Webster]
It is not that pearls fetch a high price because men
have dived for them. --Whately.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The colloquial form dove is common in the United States
as an imperfect tense form.
[1913 Webster]
All [the walruses] dove down with a tremendous
splash. --Dr. Hayes.
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When closely pressed it [the loon] dove . . . and
left the young bird sitting in the water. --J.
Burroughs.
[1913 Webster]
2. Fig.: To plunge or to go deeply into any subject,
question, business, etc.; to penetrate; to explore.
--South.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Dove \Dove\ (d[u^]v), n. [OE. dove, duve, douve, AS. d[=u]fe;
akin to OS. d[=u]ba, D. duif, OHG. t[=u]ba, G. taube, Icel.
d[=u]fa, Sw. dufva, Dan. due, Goth. d[=u]b[=o]; perh. from
the root of E. dive.]
1. (Zool.) A pigeon of the genus Columba and various
related genera. The species are numerous.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The domestic dove, including the varieties called
fantails, tumblers, carrier pigeons, etc., was
derived from the rock pigeon (Columba livia) of
Europe and Asia; the turtledove of Europe, celebrated
for its sweet, plaintive note, is Columba turtur or
Turtur vulgaris; the ringdove, the largest of
European species, is Columba palumbus; the Carolina
dove, or Mourning dove, is Zenaidura macroura; the
sea dove is the little auk (Mergulus alle or Alle
alle). See Turtledove, Ground dove, and Rock
pigeon. The dove is a symbol of peace, innocence,
gentleness, and affection; also, in art and in the
Scriptures, the typical symbol of the Holy Ghost.
[1913 Webster]
2. A word of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle.
[1913 Webster]
O my dove, . . . let me hear thy voice. --Cant. ii.
14.
[1913 Webster]
3. a person advocating peace, compromise or conciliation
rather than war or conflict. Opposite of hawk.
[PJC]
Dove tick (Zool.), a mite (Argas reflexus) which infests
doves and other birds.
Soiled dove, a prostitute. [Slang] Dovecot
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
dove
n 1: any of numerous small pigeons
2: someone who prefers negotiations to armed conflict in the
conduct of foreign relations [syn: dove, peacenik] [ant:
hawk, war hawk]
3: a constellation in the southern hemisphere near Puppis and
Caelum [syn: Columba, Dove]
4: flesh of a pigeon suitable for roasting or braising; flesh of
a dove (young squab) may be broiled [syn: squab, dove]
5: an emblem of peace
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
79 Moby Thesaurus words for "dove":
angel, avifauna, babe, baby bird, bird, bird of Jove, bird of Juno,
bird of Minerva, bird of night, bird of passage, bird of prey,
birdie, birdlife, birdy, cage bird, chick, child, child of nature,
conchie, conscientious objector, cygnet, diving bird, dupe, eagle,
eaglet, fish-eating bird, fledgling, flightless bird, fowl,
fruit-eating bird, fulmar, game bird, hick, infant, ingenue,
innocent, insect-eating bird, lamb, lout, mere child, migrant,
migratory bird, nestling, newborn babe, noble savage, oaf,
oscine bird, owl, pacificator, pacificist, pacifist,
passerine bird, peace lover, peacemaker, peacemonger, peacenik,
peacock, peafowl, peahen, perching bird, pigeon, ratite, rube,
sea bird, seed-eating bird, shore bird, simple soul, songbird,
squab, storm petrel, stormy petrel, swan, unsophisticate,
wading bird, warbler, water bird, waterfowl, wildfowl, yokel
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:
Dove
In their wild state doves generally build their nests in the
clefts of rocks, but when domesticated "dove-cots" are prepared
for them (Cant. 2:14; Jer. 48:28; Isa. 60:8). The dove was
placed on the standards of the Assyrians and Babylonians in
honour, it is supposed, of Semiramis (Jer. 25:38; Vulg.,
"fierceness of the dove;" comp. Jer. 46:16; 50:16). Doves and
turtle-doves were the only birds that could be offered in
sacrifice, as they were clean according to the Mosaic law (Ge.
15:9; Lev. 5:7; 12:6; Luke 2:24). The dove was the harbinger of
peace to Noah (Gen. 8:8, 10). It is often mentioned as the
emblem of purity (Ps. 68:13). It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit
(Gen. 1:2; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32); also of
tender and devoted affection (Cant. 1:15; 2:14). David in his
distress wished that he had the wings of a dove, that he might
fly away and be at rest (Ps. 55:6-8). There is a species of dove
found at Damascus "whose feathers, all except the wings, are
literally as yellow as gold" (68:13).