# dove

> English word · Noun · IPA /dʌv/ · frequency rank #11,687

## Definitions
1. A pigeon, especially one smaller in size and white-colored; a bird (often arbitrarily called either a pigeon or a dove or both) of more than 300 species of the family Columbidae.
2. A person favouring conciliation and negotiation rather than conflict.
3. Term of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle.
4. A greyish, bluish, pinkish colour like that of the bird.
5. Ellipsis of love dove (“tablet of the drug ecstasy”).

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-der.?
Proto-Germanic *dūbaną?
Proto-Germanic *dūbǭ
Proto-West Germanic *dūbā
Old English *dūfe
Middle English douve
English dove
Inherited from Middle English douve, dove, duve, from Old English *dūfe (“dove, pigeon”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūbā, from Proto-Germanic *dūbǭ (“dove, pigeon”).
Cognate with Scots doo, dow, Saterland Frisian Duuwe, West Frisian do, Dutch duif, Afrikaans duif, Sranan Tongo doifi, German Taube, German Low German Duuv, Dutch Low Saxon duve, doeve, Danish due, Faroese dúgva, Icelandic dúfa, Norwegian Bokmål due, Norwegian Nynorsk due, Swedish duva, Yiddish טויב (toyb), Gothic *𐌳𐌿𐌱𐍉 (*dubō).

## Easily confused with
- **DV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dv)
- **due** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-due)
- **DVD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dvd)
- **dye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dye)
- **dow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dow)
- **Dre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dre)
- **dox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dox)
- **down** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-down)
- **dude** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dude)
- **duke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-duke)
- **dyke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dyke)
- **dune** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dune)
- **dowd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dowd)
- **dupe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dupe)
- **doze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-doze)
- **drive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-drive)
- **drove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-drove)
- **dozen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-dozen)
- **drone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-drone)
- **Doyle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dove-vs-doyle)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ddove`, `doev`, `dovve`, `dvoe`, `odve`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dove