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.

Source : WordNet®

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