raven

Meaning

1. Any of several, generally large, species of birds in the genus Corvus with lustrous black plumage; especially the common raven (Corvus corax).
2. A jet-black, often glossy, colour, like that of the plumage of a raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
3. 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.
4. A flag bearing a raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1), formerly used by some Viking leaders
5. preceded by the: Viking military power.
6. A person, especially a man, with black hair.
7. A person who brings bad news or makes pessimistic predictions.
8. Of the jet-black and often glossy colour of the plumage of a raven (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
9. Alternative spelling of ravin.
10. Sometimes followed by away or from: to obtain or seize (something, especially property) by force or violence; to plunder.
11. Sometimes followed by down, up, or (obsolete) in: to eat (something, such as food or prey) greedily; to devour, to wolf down.
12. To absorb or take in (something, such as information) greedily; also, to approach or pounce on (someone) like prey.
13. 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.
14. To eat greedily; also, followed by on or upon: of an animal: to prey on.
15. Sometimes followed by about or on: to move about searching for food or prey ravenously.
16. Sometimes followed by after or for: to have a ravenous appetite or craving for food or prey.
17. Originally followed by with: to experience great hunger; to be ravenous.
18. To take and exploit or make use of greedily.
19. Sometimes followed by after or for: to have a strong craving or desire for, or to do, something; to crave, to desire, to yearn.
20. A surname.
21. A female given name from English for a girl with raven hair, used since the 1970s.
22. A male given name.
23. A place name:
24. A community in Red Deer County, Alberta, Canada, possibly named after the Raven River.
25. A number of places in the United States:
26. An unincorporated community in Prairie Township, Edgar County, Illinois.
27. An unincorporated community in Knott County, Kentucky.
28. An unincorporated community in Brown County, Nebraska.
29. A census-designated place in Russell County and Tazewell County, Virginia.
30. A village in Kardzhali province, Bulgaria.
31. A village in Gostivar municipality, North Macedonia.

Etymology / origin

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.

Related words

Descendant words

• Rapp(Alemannic German) (cog)
• waldrapp(English) (cog)
• hrafn(Icelandic) (cog)
• レイヴン(Japanese) (bor)
• Raav(Low German) (cog)
• Ramm(Luxembourgish) (cog)
• ramn(Norwegian Nynorsk) (cog)
• hrafn(Old Norse) (cog)
• Raabe(Pennsylvania German) (cog)

Sources

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