/ˈɹeɪvn̩/, /ˈɹeɪvən/
OriginFrom Middle English raven, reven (“raven (Corvus corax); carrion crow (Corvus corone); rook (Corvus frugilegus) (?); the constellation Corvus; gall nuts of the Aleppo oak (Quercus infectoria) used to make black ink”), from Old English hræfn (“raven”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrabn (“raven”), from Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz (“raven”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *ḱrep- (“to crackle; to rattle”) or *ḱer- (“to croak, crow”), probably ultimately onomatopoeic, referring to the bird’s call.
- countableAny of several, generally large, species of birds in the genus Corvus with lustrous black plumage; especially the common raven (Corvus corax).
“Some ſay that Rauens foſter forlorne children, / The vvhilſt their ovvne birds famiſh in their neſts: / Oh be to me though thy hard hart ſay no, / Nothing ſo kinde but ſomething pittifull.”
“Thus like the ſad preſaging Rauen that tolls / The ſick mans paſſeport in her hollovv beake, / And in the ſhadovv of the ſilent night / Doth ſhake contagion from her ſable vvings; / Vex'd and tormente”
“[T]he Danes bare in their Enſigne a Raven vvrought (by report) in needle-vvorke, by the daughters of Lothbroke that is, Leather-breech, […]”
- uncountableA jet-black, often glossy, colour, like that of the plumage of a raven (etymology 1 sense 1).
“Near-synonyms: ebony, onyx”
“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 li”
- archaic, countableUsually preceded by a descriptive word: a bird from a genus other than Corvus that resembles the raven (etymology 1 sense 1), especially in having black plumage; also, an imaginary black bird.
“VVhen the great ſea-raven, as Jacobſon informs us, comes to take avvay their young, the puffins boldly oppoſe him. […] As ſoon as the raven approaches, the puffin catches him under the throat vvith it”
“Along the wild mountains night-ravens were yelling— / They bodingly presaged destruction and woe.”
- countable, historicalA flag bearing a raven (etymology 1 sense 1), formerly used by some Viking leaders
- historical, metonymically, uncountablepreceded by the: Viking military power.
“Behold the vvarrior bright vvith Daniſh ſpoils!— / The raven droops his vvings—and hark! the trumpet, / Exulting, ſpeaks the reſt.”
- countableA person, especially a man, with black hair.
- countable, figuratively, obsoleteA person who brings bad news or makes pessimistic predictions.
“Ric[hard]. Novv y'ave ſpoke it halfe; 'tis ſinking I muſt treate of; / Your ſhips are all ſunke. / […] / M[istress] Foſt[er]. O thou fatall Raven; Let me pull thine eyes out for this / Sad croake.”
“Mal[icorn]. O my dear Lord, upon this onely day / Depends the ſeries of your follovving Fate: / Think your good Genius has aſſum'd my ſhape / In this Prophetick doom. / Guiſe. Peace croaking Raven, / ”
“Some ravens have alvvays indeed croaked out this kind of ſong. They have a malignant delight in preſaging miſchief vvhen they are not employed in doing it: they are miſerable and diſapointed at every ”
- not-comparableEspecially of hair: of the jet-black and often glossy colour of the plumage of a raven (etymology 1 sense 1).
“Near-synonyms: ebony, onyx”
“raven curls raven darkness”
“She was a tall, sophisticated, raven-haired beauty.”
- archaic, transitiveSometimes followed by away or from: to obtain or seize (something, especially property) by force or violence; to plunder.
“[They] aſſaulted by night a certen aũciẽt [auncient] gentleman at home in his owne houſe, which had done thē [them] no diſpleaſure, and being a ſlepe in his bed at their cõming [comming], whan he had ”
- archaic, transitiveSometimes followed by down, up, or (obsolete) in: to eat (something, such as food or prey) greedily; to devour, to wolf down.
“Her princes in the middes thereof are like vvolues, rauening yͤ pray [prey] to ſhed blood, and to ſhed blood, and to deſtroye ſoules for their ovvne couetous lucre.”
“[C]ertaine young men vvhom they call Giamoglans, vvith others that ſtood round about them, ſnatcht it [the food] haſtily vp as their fees, and like greedie Harpies rauened it dovvne in a moment.”
“In the morning giue them [horses] barley or prouender, a little at a time in diſtinct or ſeueral portions, tvvice or thrice one after another, ſo as he may chevv and eke diſgeſt it thoroughly, othervv”
- figuratively, transitiveTo absorb or take in (something, such as information) greedily; also, to approach or pounce on (someone) like prey.
“[S]he fenced them in their need / With iron-handed Duty's sternest creed, / 'Gainst Self's lean wolf that ravens word and deed.”
“But some characters in books are very real—Jane Austen's are; and I know those five Bennets at the opening of Pride and Prejudice, simply waiting to raven the young men at Netherfield Park, are not gi”
- intransitiveFollowed by about, after, or for: to go after or seek for something, especially booty or spoils; to maraud, to plunder; also (generally), to move about wildly and cause damage; to rampage.
“[T]he ſouldiours not yet ſatisfied with ſpoiling and ſacking the reſt that they found in the ſaid Tailleret, raging about the confines thereof, rauened and made hauocke on euery ſide, of whatſoeuer th”
“[T]he Inhabitants of the Countrey, a barbarous and inhumane people (as generally Sea-borderers are) and inur'd to the ſpoil of VVracks, vvere not over haſty to acquaint the Duke's Officers vvith this,”
“A scandal to be seen, how his Croats and loose hordes went openly ravening about, bent on mere housebreaking, street-robbery and insolent violence.”
- intransitiveTo eat greedily; also, followed by on or upon: of an animal: to prey on.
“The couaitous deſyre of riche men is euer vnſaciable. It always raueneth and neuer is ſatisfied.”
“For he [Daphnis] had doubled the number [of goats] he had received of Lamo, nor had the Wolf raven'd away so much as one, and they were all more twaddling fat then the very sheep.”
“[T]he outdoor dogs […] were permitted to raven unchecked upon chicken bones, fat slices of ham, and luscious leavings of cream when the packing-up time came.”
- intransitiveSometimes followed by about or on: to move about searching for food or prey ravenously.
“[T]he Arms and Hands of the Bear, […] are his ſtrength and inſtrument of action to raven and prey vvith; […]”
- intransitiveSometimes followed by after or for: to have a ravenous appetite or craving for food or prey.
“[B]ecause hogs are commonly rauening for their meat, more then other cattel, it is meet therefore to haue them ringed, or elſe they will doe much hurt in digging and turning vp corne fieldes, […]”
“They passed along towards the great hall-door, where the winds howled and ravened for their prey; […]”
“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.”
- intransitiveOriginally followed by with: to experience great hunger; to be ravenous.
“For hovv […] ſhall I knovv thee to be a man, vvhen thou kickeſt like an aſſe, neygheſt like an Horſe after vvomen, raueſt in luſt like a Bull, raueneſt like a Beare, ſtingeſt like a Scorpion, rakeſt l”
- figuratively, intransitiveTo take and exploit or make use of greedily.
- figuratively, intransitiveSometimes followed by after or for: to have a strong craving or desire for, or to do, something; to crave, to desire, to yearn.
“Here's my brother thirsting, ravening to make your acquaintance—and by George! you are in luck's way, young hopeful, to make his.”
“Take your conscience—what is the choice? 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 f”
- A surname.
“William King, Daniel Giles, and Samuel Raven, the other defendants in the bill named, who were described as the trustees nominated by the parties, of the fifth part.”
“Mr. F. Haydon said he was an undertaker at Stockwell. He conducted the funeral of W. Raven, the registry of whose death was proved by Mr. Booth”
“Several senior railway engineers reached the IMechE pinnacle of being appointed president: Sir Vincent Raven (1912), [...].”
- A female given name from English for a girl with raven hair, used since the 1970s.
“I want you to do a background check on a woman named Raven Anderson. Waist-length black hair, violet eyes, tall, striking. Late twenties, I'd say.”
“Raven-Symoné and Anneliese van der Pol will reprise their roles as best friends Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels.”
- A male given name.
“Raven Allen — Originally from the Zone, he becomes a member of the Psi:Ko when he is kidnapped with his brothers by trackers.”
- A community in Red Deer County, Alberta, Canada, possibly named after the Raven River.
- An unincorporated community in Prairie Township, Edgar County, Illinois.
- An unincorporated community in Knott County, Kentucky.
- An unincorporated community in Brown County, Nebraska.
- A census-designated place in Russell County and Tazewell County, Virginia.
- A village in Kardzhali province, Bulgaria.
- A village in Gostivar municipality, North Macedonia.
- Synonym of Corvus (“a constellation of the southern sky south of the constellation Virgo, said to resemble a crow”).
Formsravens(plural) · ravens(present, singular, third-person) · ravening(participle, present) · ravened(participle, past) · ravened(past) · raven(infinitive) · raven(first-person, present, singular) · ravened(first-person, past, singular) · raven(present, second-person, singular) · ravenest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · ravened(past, second-person, singular) · ravenedst(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · raveneth(archaic, present, singular, third-person) · ravened(past, singular, third-person) · raven(plural, present) · ravened(past, plural) · raven(present, subjunctive) · ravened(past, subjunctive) · raven(imperative, present) · -(imperative, past)
Source: Wiktionary