raven
See also: Raven and räven
English
Etymology 1
A raven (bird).
From Middle English raven, reven, from Old English hræfn, from Proto-West Germanic *hrabn, from Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz (“raven”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱrep-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“to croak, crow”).
Pronunciation
- enPR: rāʹvən, IPA(key): /ˈɹeɪvən/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -eɪvən
Noun
raven (countable and uncountable, plural ravens)
- (countable) Any of several, generally large and lustrous black species of birds in the genus Corvus, especially the common raven, Corvus corax.
- c. 1588–1593, [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, […], published 1594, OCLC 222241046, [Act II, scene iii]:
- Some ſay that Rauens foſter forlorne children, / The whilſt their owne birds famiſh in their neſts: / Oh be to me though thy hard hart ſay no, / Nothing ſo kinde but ſomething pittiful.
-
- A jet-black colour.
- 1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds:
- A lone man walks the shores of Nantucket; his noble form is slightly bent, and with the raven of his hair is blended the faintest tinge of gray, though he is evidently a man to whom the meridian of life is yet far in the distance […]
- raven:
-
Derived terms
- Australian raven (Corvus coronoides)
- brown-necked raven (Corvus ruficollis)
- Chatham raven (Corvus moriorum)
- Chihuahuan raven (Corvus cryptoleucus)
- common raven (Corvus corax)
- dwarf raven (Corvus edithae)
- fan-tailed raven (Corvus rhipidurus)
- forest raven (Corvus tasmanicus)
- little raven (Corvus mellori)
- New Zealand raven (Corvus antipodum)
- northern raven (Corvus corax)
- pied raven
- raven-messenger
- relict raven (Corvus tasmanicus boreus)
- Somali raven (Corvus edithae)
- Tasmanian raven (Corvus tasmanicus)
- thick-billed raven (Corvus crassirostris)
- western raven (Corvus corax sinuatus)
- white-necked raven (Corvus albicollis)
Translations
bird
|
Adjective
raven (not comparable)
- Of the color of the raven; jet-black
- raven curls
- raven darkness
- She was a tall, sophisticated, raven-haired beauty.
Derived terms
terms derived from raven
- nonraven
- raven-black
- raven-haired
- ravenhood
- raven standard
Translations
of the color of the raven; jet-black
|
Etymology 2
From Middle English ravene, ravine, from Old French raviner (“rush, seize by force”), itself from ravine (“rapine”), from Latin rapīna (“plundering, loot”), itself from rapere (“seize, plunder, abduct”).
Alternative forms
- ravin, ravine
Pronunciation
- enPR: răvʹən, IPA(key): /ˈɹævən/
Audio (UK) (file)
- Rhymes: -ævən
Noun
raven (plural ravens)
- Rapine; rapacity.
- Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence.
Translations
rapine; rapacity
|
prey; plunder; food obtained by violence
|
Verb
raven (third-person singular simple present ravens, present participle ravening, simple past and past participle ravened)
- (transitive, archaic) To obtain or seize by violence.
- (transitive) To devour with great eagerness.
- 1938, P.G. Woodhouse, The Code of the Woosters:
- I refer to the danger of keeping a dog of this nature and disposition in a bedroom, where it can spring out ravening on anyone who enters.
-
- (transitive) To prey on with rapacity.
- The raven is both a scavenger, who ravens a dead animal almost like a vulture, and a bird of prey, who commonly ravens to catch a rodent.
- (intransitive) To show rapacity; to be greedy (for something).
- 1587, Leonard Mascall, The First Booke of Cattell, London, “The nature and qualities of hogges, and also the gouernement thereof,”
- […] because hogs are commonly rauening for their meat, more then other cattel, it is meet therefore to haue them ringed, or else they wil doe much hurt in digging and turning vp corne fieldes […]
- 1852, Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Old Nurse’s Story” in The Old Nurse’s Story and Other Tales,
- They passed along towards the great hall-door, where the winds howled and ravened for their prey […]
- 1865, Sabine Baring-Gould, The Book of Were-Wolves, London: Smith, Elder & Co., Chapter 8, p. 114,
- The Greek were-wolf is closely related to the vampire. The lycanthropist falls into a cataleptic trance, during which his soul leaves his body, enters that of a wolf and ravens for blood.
- 1931, James B. Fagan, The Improper Duchess, London: Victor Gollancz, 1932, Act 3, p. 237,
- On one side the great temple where you can gather the good harvest—on the other a dirty little scandal that you’ve nosed out to fling to paper scavengers who feed it to their readin’ millions ravening for pornographic dirt.
- 1587, Leonard Mascall, The First Booke of Cattell, London, “The nature and qualities of hogges, and also the gouernement thereof,”
Related terms
- ravener
- ravening
- ravenous, ravenously, ravenousness
Further reading
Corvus corax on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
- Verna
Dutch
Etymology 1
Borrowed from English rave.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈreːvə(n)/
Verb
raven
- to (hold a) rave, to party wildly
Inflection
| Inflection of raven (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | raven | |||
| past singular | ravede | |||
| past participle | geraved | |||
| infinitive | raven | |||
| gerund | raven n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | rave | ravede | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | ravet | ravede | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | ravet | ravede | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | ravet | ravede | ||
| 3rd person singular | ravet | ravede | ||
| plural | raven | raveden | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | rave | ravede | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | raven | raveden | ||
| imperative sing. | rave | |||
| imperative plur.1 | ravet | |||
| participles | ravend | geraved | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈraːvə(n)/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -aːvən
Noun
raven
- Plural form of raaf
Anagrams
- ervan, varen
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch ravan, from Proto-West Germanic *hrabn.
Noun
rāven m
- raven
Inflection
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Alternative forms
- rāvene
- rāve
Descendants
- Dutch: raaf
- Afrikaans: raaf
- → Sranan Tongo: rafru
- Limburgish: raof
Further reading
- “raven”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “raven”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Slovene
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *orvьnъ.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ràːʋən/
Adjective
rávən (comparative rávnejši, superlative nȁjrávnejši)
- even, level
Inflection
| Hard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |
| nom. sing. | ráven | rávna | rávno |
| singular | |||
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |
| nominative | ráven ind rávni def | rávna | rávno |
| genitive | rávnega | rávne | rávnega |
| dative | rávnemu | rávni | rávnemu |
| accusative | nominativeinan or genitiveanim | rávno | rávno |
| locative | rávnem | rávni | rávnem |
| instrumental | rávnim | rávno | rávnim |
| dual | |||
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |
| nominative | rávna | rávni | rávni |
| genitive | rávnih | rávnih | rávnih |
| dative | rávnima | rávnima | rávnima |
| accusative | rávna | rávni | rávni |
| locative | rávnih | rávnih | rávnih |
| instrumental | rávnima | rávnima | rávnima |
| plural | |||
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |
| nominative | rávni | rávne | rávna |
| genitive | rávnih | rávnih | rávnih |
| dative | rávnim | rávnim | rávnim |
| accusative | rávne | rávne | rávna |
| locative | rávnih | rávnih | rávnih |
| instrumental | rávnimi | rávnimi | rávnimi |
Alternative forms
- ravȃn (archaic)
Derived terms
- rávnost
Further reading
- “raven”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran