rave
/ɹeɪv/ noun, verb, proper noun
Also a form of rive
Forms raves raving raved
- noun (informal, countable) An enthusiastic review (such as of a play). “It was the critic's rave that made me want to see the show.”
- noun A large-scale dance party with strobe lights and fast-paced electronic dance music, often illegally organized open-air or in underground venues. “She has attended a rave every weekend this month.”
- noun (music, uncountable) The genres of electronic dance music made to be played in rave parties. “I danced to rave music all night.”
- verb (intransitive) To be mentally unclear; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging.
- verb (intransitive) To speak or write wildly or incoherently.
- verb (intransitive, followed by "about", "of", "for", "against" or (formerly) "on") To talk or otherwise express oneself with excessive enthusiasm, passion or excitement. “He raved about her beauty.”
- verb (transitive) To speak (a message) with intense enthusiasm, passion or excitement. “She raved that she must seek revenge against the wrongdoers.”
- verb (obsolete) To rush wildly or furiously.
- verb (intransitive) To attend a rave (dance party).
- verb (intransitive, chiefly Scotland, Newfoundland) To wander or roam.
- verb (intransitive, chiefly Scotland, Newfoundland) To stray or err.
- noun One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
raving review rave-up rant craze have a kangaroo loose in the top paddock have a screw loose have bats in one's belfry have bats in the belfry have squirrels in the attic have toys in the attic nut out nut up mouth off jabber spout rabbit on gush
Etymology
From Middle English raven (“to rave; talk like a madman”), from Old French raver, variant of resver, of uncertain origin. Compare rave below, and rove.
From northern Middle English raven, from Old Norse ráfa (“to wander, roam”), of uncertain and obscure origin. Perhaps from a dissimilation of Proto-Germanic *wab(b)ōną (“to sway, waver, swing, shake, wobble, totter, reel, careen”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to move, swarm, waft”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk rava (“to wander, be delirious”). Doublet of rove.
Compare also Middle Dutch reven (“to utter nonsense, rave, be drowsy”) (whence modern Dutch revelen (“to rave, talk nonsense”), Middle Low German rēven (“to be crazy, think and talk nonsensically”), Middle High German reben (“to move about, dream, be confused”) (compare Alemannic German räbeln (“to make loud noise”)).
English dialect raves, or rathes (“a frame laid on a wagon, for carrying hay, etc.”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.
- verb To wander in mind or intellect; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging, as a madman.
- verb To rush wildly or furiously. Spencer.
- verb To utter in madness or frenzy; to say wildly; as, to rave nonsense. Young.
Etymology [Prov. E. raves, or rathes, a frame laid on a wagon, for carrying hay, etc.]
Etymology [F. rêver to rave, to be delirious, to dream; perhaps fr. L. rabere to rave, rage, be mad or furious. Cf. Rage, Reverie.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rave”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details