Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Rock \Rock\, n. [OF. roke, F. roche; cf. Armor. roc'h, and AS.
   rocc.]
   1. A large concreted mass of stony material; a large fixed
      stone or crag. See {Stone}.

            Come one, come all! this rock shall fly From its
            firm base as soon as I.               --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.

   2. (Geol.) Any natural deposit forming a part of the earth's
      crust, whether consolidated or not, including sand, earth,
      clay, etc., when in natural beds.

   3. That which resembles a rock in firmness; a defense; a
      support; a refuge.

            The Lord is my rock, and my fortress. --2 Sam. xxii.
                                                  2.

   4. Fig.: Anything which causes a disaster or wreck resembling
      the wreck of a vessel upon a rock.

   5. (Zo["o]l.) The striped bass. See under {Bass}.

   Note: This word is frequently used in the formation of
         self-explaining compounds; as, rock-bound, rock-built,
         rock-ribbed, rock-roofed, and the like.

   {Rock alum}. [Probably so called by confusion with F. roche a
      rock.] Same as {Roche alum}.

   {Rock barnacle} (Zo["o]l.), a barnacle ({Balanus balanoides})
      very abundant on rocks washed by tides.

   {Rock bass}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) The stripped bass. See under {Bass}.
      (b) The goggle-eye.
      (c) The cabrilla. Other species are also locally called
          rock bass.

   {Rock builder} (Zo["o]l.), any species of animal whose
      remains contribute to the formation of rocks, especially
      the corals and Foraminifera.

   {Rock butter} (Min.), native alum mixed with clay and oxide
      of iron, usually in soft masses of a yellowish white
      color, occuring in cavities and fissures in argillaceous
      slate.

   {Rock candy}, a form of candy consisting of crystals of pure
      sugar which are very hard, whence the name.

   {Rock cavy}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Moco}.

   {Rock cod} (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) A small, often reddish or brown, variety of the cod
          found about rocks andledges.
      (b) A California rockfish.

   {Rock cook}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) A European wrasse ({Centrolabrus exoletus}).
      (b) A rockling.

   {Rock cork} (Min.), a variety of asbestus the fibers of which
      are loosely interlaced. It resembles cork in its texture.
      

   {Rock crab} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of large
      crabs of the genus {Cancer}, as the two species of the New
      England coast ({C. irroratus} and {C. borealis}). See
      Illust. under {Cancer}.

   {Rock cress} (Bot.), a name of several plants of the cress
      kind found on rocks, as {Arabis petr[ae]a}, {A. lyrata},
      etc.

   {Rock crystal} (Min.), limpid quartz. See {Quartz}, and under
      {Crystal}.

   {Rock dove} (Zo["o]l.), the rock pigeon; -- called also {rock
      doo}.

   {Rock drill}, an implement for drilling holes in rock; esp.,
      a machine impelled by steam or compressed air, for
      drilling holes for blasting, etc.

   {Rock duck} (Zo["o]l.), the harlequin duck.

   {Rock eel}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Gunnel}.

   {Rock goat} (Zo["o]l.), a wild goat, or ibex.

   {Rock hopper} (Zo["o]l.), a penguin of the genus
      {Catarractes}. See under {Penguin}.

   {Rock kangaroo}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Kangaroo}, and {Petrogale}.
      

   {Rock lobster} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
      large spinose lobsters of the genera {Panulirus} and
      {Palinurus}. They have no large claws. Called also {spiny
      lobster}, and {sea crayfish}.

   {Rock meal} (Min.), a light powdery variety of calcite
      occuring as an efflorescence.

   {Rock milk}. (Min.) See {Agaric mineral}, under {Agaric}.

   {Rock moss}, a kind of lichen; the cudbear. See {Cudbear}.

   {Rock oil}. See {Petroleum}.

   {Rock parrakeet} (Zo["o]l.), a small Australian parrakeet
      ({Euphema petrophila}), which nests in holes among the
      rocks of high cliffs. Its general color is yellowish olive
      green; a frontal band and the outer edge of the wing
      quills are deep blue, and the central tail feathers bluish
      green.

   {Rock pigeon} (Zo["o]l.), the wild pigeon ({Columba livia})
      Of Europe and Asia, from which the domestic pigeon was
      derived. See Illust. under {Pigeon}.

   {Rock pipit}. (Zo["o]l.) See the Note under {Pipit}.

   {Rock plover}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) The black-bellied, or whistling, plover.
      (b) The rock snipe.

   {Rock ptarmigan} (Zo["o]l.), an arctic American ptarmigan
      ({Lagopus rupestris}), which in winter is white, with the
      tail and lores black. In summer the males are grayish
      brown, coarsely vermiculated with black, and have black
      patches on the back.

   {Rock rabbit} (Zo["o]l.), the hyrax. See {Cony}, and {Daman}.
      

   {Rock ruby} (Min.), a fine reddish variety of garnet.

   {Rock salt} (Min.), cloride of sodium (common salt) occuring
      in rocklike masses in mines; mineral salt; salt dug from
      the earth. In the United States this name is sometimes
      given to salt in large crystals, formed by evaporation
      from sea water in large basins or cavities.

   {Rock seal} (Zo["o]l.), the harbor seal. See {Seal}.

   {Rock shell} (Zo["o]l.), any species of Murex, Purpura, and
      allied genera.

   {Rock snake} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several large pythons;
      as, the royal rock snake ({Python regia}) of Africa, and
      the rock snake of India ({P. molurus}). The Australian
      rock snakes mostly belong to the allied genus {Morelia}.
      

   {Rock snipe} (Zo["o]l.), the purple sandpiper ({Tringa
      maritima}); -- called also {rock bird}, {rock plover},
      {winter snipe}.

   {Rock soap} (Min.), a kind of clay having a smooth, greasy
      feel, and adhering to the tongue.

   {Rock sparrow}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) Any one of several species of Old World sparrows of
          the genus {Petronia}, as {P. stulla}, of Europe.
      (b) A North American sparrow ({Puc[ae]a ruficeps}).

   {Rock tar}, petroleum.

   {Rock thrush} (Zo["o]l.), any Old World thrush of the genus
      {Monticola}, or {Petrocossyphus}; as, the European rock
      thrush ({M. saxatilis}), and the blue rock thrush of India
      ({M. cyaneus}), in which the male is blue throughout.

   {Rock tripe} (Bot.), a kind of lichen ({Umbilicaria
      Dillenii}) growing on rocks in the northen parts of
      America, and forming broad, flat, coriaceous, dark fuscous
      or blackish expansions. It has been used as food in cases
      of extremity.

   {Rock trout} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of marine
      food fishes of the genus {Hexagrammus}, family
      {Chirad[ae]}, native of the North Pacific coasts; --
      called also {sea trout}, {boregat}, {bodieron}, and
      {starling}.

   {Rock warbler} (Zo["o]l.), a small Australian singing bird
      ({Origma rubricata}) which frequents rocky ravines and
      water courses; -- called also {cataract bird}.

   {Rock wren} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of wrens
      of the genus {Salpinctes}, native of the arid plains of
      Lower California and Mexico.

Pigeon \Pi"geon\, n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or
   chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf. {Peep} to
   chirp.]
   1. (Zo["o]l.) Any bird of the order Columb[ae], of which
      numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.

   Note: The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from
         the Old World rock pigeon ({Columba livia}). It has
         given rise to numerous very remarkable varieties, such
         as the carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The
         common wild pigeons of the Eastern United States are
         the passenger pigeon, and the Carolina dove. See under
         {Passenger}, and {Dove}. See, also, {Fruit pigeon},
         {Ground pigeon}, {Queen pigeon}, {Stock pigeon}, under
         {Fruit}, {Ground}, etc.

   2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]

   {Blue pigeon} (Zo["o]l.), an Australian passerine bird
      ({Graucalus melanops}); -- called also {black-faced crow}.
      

   {Green pigeon} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of Old
      World pigeons belonging to the family {Treronid[ae]}.

   {Imperial pigeon} (Zo["o]l.), any one of the large Asiatic
      fruit pigeons of the genus {Carpophada}.

   {Pigeon berry} (Bot.), the purplish black fruit of the
      pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See {Pokeweed}.

   {Pigeon English} [perhaps a corruption of business English],
      an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the
      commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication
      between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is
      English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindoostanee.
      --Johnson's Cyc.

Dove \Dove\, n. [OE. dove, duve, douve, AS. d?fe; akin to OS.
   d?ba, D. duif, OHG. t?ba, G. taube, Icel. d?fa, Sw. dufva,
   Dan. due, Goth. d?b?; perh. from the root of E. dive.]
   1. (Zo["o]l.) A pigeon of the genus {Columba} and various
      related genera. The species are numerous.

   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 {C. turtur} or
         {Turtur vulgaris}; the {ringdove}, the largest of
         European species, is {C. 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 innocence, gentleness,
         and affection; also, in art and in the Scriptures, the
         typical symbol of the Holy Ghost.

Source : WordNet®

Columba livia
     n : pale gray Eurasian pigeon having black-striped wings from
         which most domestic species are descended [syn: {rock
         dove}, {rock pigeon}]