ravine
UK /ɹəˈviːn/ · US /ɹəˈvin/ noun
Forms ravines ravining ravined
Etymology
Borrowed from French ravin (“a gully”), from Old French raviner (“to pillage, sweep down, cascade”), from ravine (“robbery, rapine; violent rush of water, waterfall, avalanche; impetuosity, spirit”), from Latin rapīna (cf. rapine).
See ravin.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Food obtained by violence; plunder; prey; raven. "Fowls of ravyne." Chaucer.
- verb See Raven, v. t. & i.
- noun A torrent of water. [Obs.] Cotgrave.
- noun A deep and narrow hollow, usually worn by a stream or torrent of water; a gorge; a mountain cleft.
Etymology [See 2d Raven.]
Etymology [F., a place excavated by a torrent, a ravine, fr. ravir to snatch or tear away, L. rapere; cf. L. rapina rapine. See Ravish, and cf. Rapine, Raven prey.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ravine”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details