Reave Definition

rēv
reaved, reaves, reaving, reft
verb
reaved, reaves, reaving
To seize and carry off forcibly.
American Heritage
To deprive (one) of something; bereave.
American Heritage
To take away by violence; seize; rob.
Webster's New World
To break, split, tear, or the like.
Webster's New World

Origin of Reave

  • Middle English reven, from Old English rÄ“afian, from Proto-Germanic *raubōnÄ… (compare West Frisian rave, German rauben, Danish røve), from *raubō (compare Old English rÄ“af 'spoils, booty'), from *reufanÄ… 'to tear' (compare Old English past participle rofen 'torn, broken', Norwegian rjuva), from Proto-Indo-European *Hréup-e/o- (compare Latin rumpere (“to break"), Lithuanian rùpti 'to roughen', Sanskrit ropayati 'to make suffer'). See rob.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English reven to plunder from Old English rēafian reup- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Alteration of rive by confusion with the above.

    From Wiktionary

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