raven Hear it!

raven1 definition

ra·ven (rā′vən)

noun

any of various large crows; esp., the largest crow (Corvus corax), with a straight, sharp beak, found in Europe, Asia, and North America

Etymology: ME < OE hræfn, akin to ON hrafn, Ger rabe < IE echoic base *ker-, *kor-, imitative of harsh sounds > Gr korax, L corvus, raven: so named from its cry

adjective

black and lustrous
raven2 definition

raven (rav′ən)

transitive verb

  1. to devour greedily
  2. Obsolete to seize forcibly

Etymology: OFr raviner < ravine < L rapina, rapine

intransitive verb

  1. to prowl hungrily; search for prey or plunder
  2. to devour food or prey greedily
  3. to have a voracious appetite

noun

ravin

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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