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
Advertisement

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

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to reave using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

reave
Advertisement