Reave Definition

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