raven Hear it!

raven¹ Definition

ra·ven (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 (ravən)

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

raven Usage Examples

Object

  • wolf: He says, " Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Converse of object

  • consider: What can it mean to ' consider the ravens ' ?
  • see: You'll see a raven 's nest with an egg in it.
  • neck: Queen Hatshepsut's temple had more brown necked ravens but the real gem was a male mourning wheatear right by the coach.
  • croak: Ware that wicked fruit of knowledge, ' croaked the raven of the Churches.
  • include: There is something for everyone, from an exclusive range of china to soft toys including a cuddly raven!
  • watch: The man in turn watched the raven at work, a look of permanent surprise frosted onto his petrified face.

Converse of subject

  • feed: Elijah was fed by ravens... the widow's cruse never ran out of oil.. .

Adjective modifier

  • pet: He had a sense of humor, apologizing to a visitor for not keep ing a pet raven.
  • black: Let E 2 describe the observation of a black raven.
  • young: He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
  • old: THE oldest raven at the Tower of London received an extra sheep's heart for breakfast to reward his 21 years of loyal service.
  • common: Common ravens, Corvus corax, preferentially associate with gray wolves, Canis lupus, as a foraging strategy in winter.

Modifies a noun

  • magic: Is there anywhere I could download odin's raven magic in its entirety?
  • black: Where once there had been light, there now lay a raven black.
  • account: Raven accounts are the means by which supervisors will log into CamSIS, to complete reports in CamGRAD.
  • one: Raven one was seen in the Whitwell area on the 16th.
  • shield: Saying that the gfx in games like raven shield are top notch and that sorta runs... sort of.

Possessives

  • nest: You'll see a raven's nest with an egg in it.
  • wing: The gloom of death is on the raven's wing, The song of death is in the raven's cries.. .
raven Quotes

John Anderson my jo, John, When we were first acquent; Your locks were like the raven, Your bonie brow was brent; But now your brow is beld, John, Your locks are like the snaw; But blessings on your frosty pow, John Anderson my jo. Burns

—Burns, Robert

There comes Poe, with his raven, like Barnaby Rudge, Three-fifths of him genius and two-fifths sheer fudge.

—Lowell,James Russell

'Takethy beak fromout my heart, and takethy formfrom off my door!' Quoth the raven,'Nevermore.'

—Poe, EdgarAllan

The sad presaging raven, that tolls The sick man's passport in her hollow beak, And in the shadow of the silent night Doth shake contagion from her sable wings.

—Marlowe, Christopher

How sweetly did they float upon the wings Of silence, through the empty-vaulted night At every fall smoothing the raven down Of darkness till it smil'd.

—Milton,John

Browse dictionary entries near raven

  1. ravelment
  2. raveling
  3. ravel
  4. rave-up
  5. rave
  6. ravage
  7. rauwolfia
  8. Rauschenberg
  9. raunchy
  10. raunch
  1. ravening
  2. Ravenna
  3. ravenous
  4. raver
  5. ravin
  6. ravine
  7. raving
  8. ravioli
  9. ravish
  10. ravishing