raven
UK /ˈɹeɪvn̩/ · US /ˈɹeɪvən/ noun, adjective, verb, proper noun
Forms ravens ravening ravened ravenest ravenedst raveneth
- noun (countable) Any of several, generally large, species of birds in the genus Corvus with lustrous black plumage; especially the common raven (Corvus corax).
- noun (uncountable) A jet-black, often glossy, colour, like that of the plumage of a raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- noun (archaic, countable) Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a bird from a genus other than Corvus that resembles the raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1), especially in having black plumage; also, an imaginary black bird.
- noun (historical, countable) A flag bearing a raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1), formerly used by some Viking leaders
- noun (uncountable, metonymic) preceded by the: Viking military power.
- noun (chiefly fiction, countable) A person, especially a man, with black hair.
- noun (countable, figurative, obsolete) A person who brings bad news or makes pessimistic predictions.
- adjective (chiefly of hair) Of the jet-black and often glossy colour of the plumage of a raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1). “raven curls raven darkness”
- verb (archaic) Sometimes followed by away or from: to obtain or seize (something, especially property) by force or violence; to plunder.
- verb (archaic) Sometimes followed by down, up, or (obsolete) in: to eat (something, such as food or prey) greedily; to devour, to wolf down.
- verb (figurative) To absorb or take in (something, such as information) greedily; also, to approach or pounce on (someone) like prey.
- verb Followed 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.
- verb To eat greedily; also, followed by on or upon: of an animal: to prey on.
- verb Sometimes followed by about or on: to move about searching for food or prey ravenously.
- verb Sometimes followed by after or for: to have a ravenous appetite or craving for food or prey.
- verb Originally followed by with: to experience great hunger; to be ravenous.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A female given name from English, usually for a girl with raven hair, used since the 1970s.
- proper noun A male given name.
- proper noun A community in Red Deer County, Alberta, Canada, possibly named after the Raven River.
Synonyms
ebony onyx Corvus Corvus corax prey predate devour guttle pig
Etymology
From 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.
A variant of ravin, from Middle English ravin, ravine, raven (noun).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A large black passerine bird (Corvus corax), similar to the crow, but larger. It is native of the northern part of Europe, Asia and America, and is noted for its sagacity. Sea raven (Zoöl.), the cormorant.
- adjective Of the color of the raven; jet black; as, raven curls; raven darkness.
- noun Rapine; rapacity. Ray.
- noun Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence.
Etymology [OF. ravine impetuosity, violence, F. ravine ravine. See Ravine, Rapine.]
Etymology [Written also ravin, and ravine.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “raven”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details