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Webster 1913 Edition

Raven

Ra′ven

(rā′v’n)
,
Noun.
[AS.
hræfn
; akin to D.
raaf
, G.
rabe
, OHG.
hraban
, Icel.
hrafn
, Dan.
ravn
, and perhaps to L.
corvus
, Gr.
κόραξ
. √19.]
(Zool.)
A large black passerine bird (
Corvus corax
), similar to the crow, but larger, and has a harsh, loud call. It is native of the northern parts of Europe, Asia and America, and is noted for its sagacity.
Sea raven
(Zool.)
,
the cormorant.

Ra′ven

,
Adj.
Of the color of the raven; jet black;
as,
raven
curls;
raven
darkness.

Rav′en

(răv′’n)
,
Noun.
[OF.
ravine
impetuosity, violence, F.
ravine
ravine. See
Ravine
,
Rapine
.]
[Written also
ravin
, and
ravine
.]
1.
Rapine; rapacity.
Ray.
2.
Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence.

Rav′en

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Ravened
(răv′’nd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Ravening
.]
[Written also
ravin
, and
ravine
.]
1.
To obtain or seize by violence.
Hakewill.
2.
To devour with great eagerness.
Like rats that
ravin
down their proper bane.
Shakespeare

Rav′en

,
Verb.
I.
To prey with rapacity; to be greedy; to show rapacity.
[Written also
ravin
, and
ravine
.]
Benjamin shall
raven
as a wolf.
Gen. xlix. 27.

Webster 1828 Edition

Raven

RAVEN

,
Noun.
ra'ven. [Heb. from its color. But this may be L. corvus, rapio.]
A large fowl of a black color, of the genus Corvus.

RAVEN

,
Verb.
T.
rav'n.
1.
To devour with great eagerness; to eat with voracity.
Our natures do pursue, like rats that raven down their proper bane, a thirsty evil, and when we drink, we die.
Like a roaring lion, ravening the prey. Ezek. 22.
2.
To obtain by violence.

RAVEN

,
Verb.
I.
rav'n. To prey with rapacity.
Benjamin shall raven as a wolf. Gen 49.

RAVEN

,
Noun.
rav'n.
1.
Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence. Nah. 2.
2.
Rapine; rapacity.

Definition 2025

Raven

Raven

See also: raven and räven

English

Proper noun

Raven

  1. A female given name for a girl with raven hair, used since the 1970s.

Anagrams

Low German

Noun

Raven f pl

  1. plural of Raav

Norman

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Raven m

  1. A male given name

raven

raven

See also: Raven and räven

English

Noun

raven ‎(plural ravens)

  1. A common name for several, generally large and lustrous black species of birds in the genus Corvus, especially the common raven, Corvus corax.
Derived terms
Translations

Adjective

raven ‎(not comparable)

  1. Of the color of the raven; jet-black
    raven curls
    raven darkness
    She was a tall, sophisticated, raven-haired beauty.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Old French raviner ‎(“rush, seize by force”), itself from ravine ‎(“rapine”), from Latin rapina ‎(“plundering, loot”), itself from rapere ‎(“seize, plunder, abduct”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: răvʹən, IPA(key): /ˈrævən/
  • Rhymes: -ævən

Alternative forms

Noun

raven ‎(plural ravens)

  1. Rapine; rapacity.
  2. Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence.
Translations

Verb

raven ‎(third-person singular simple present ravens, present participle ravening, simple past and past participle ravened)

  1. (archaic) To obtain or seize by violence.
  2. To devour with great eagerness.
  3. To prey with rapacity; to be greedy; to show 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.
Related terms

References

  • Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
  • “raven” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

Anagrams

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -aːvən

Verb

raven

  1. 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
verbal noun —
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.

Noun

raven

  1. Plural form of raaf

Anagrams

Slovene

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈràːʋən/
  • Tonal orthography: rávən

Adjective

ráven ‎(comparative rávnejši, superlative nàjrávnejši)

  1. even, level

Declension

Etymology

A raven (bird).

Wikispecies From Middle English raven, reven, from Old English hræfn, from Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz (compare Dutch raaf, German Rabe, Danish ravn), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂- (compare Middle Irish crú, Latin corvus, Lithuanian šárka ‎(“magpie”), Serbo-Croatian svrȁka ‘id.’, Ancient Greek κόραξ ‎(kórax)), from *ḱer, *ḱor (compare Latin crepō ‘I creak, crack’, Sanskrit कृपते ‎(kṛpate) ("he laments", "he implores").

Pronunciation

  • enPR: rāʹvən, IPA(key): /ˈɹeɪvən/
  • Rhymes: -eɪvən

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