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bereaved

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be⋅reaved

  [bi-reevd]
Use bereaved in a Sentence
–adjective
1. (of a person) greatly saddened at being deprived by death of a loved one.
–noun
2. a bereaved person or persons (usually prec. by the): to extend condolences to the bereaved.
Origin:
1100–50; ME bireved, late OE birēafod (ptp.); see bereave, -ed 2
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be⋅reave

  [bi-reev]
–verb (used with object), -reaved or -reft, -reav⋅ing.
1. to deprive and make desolate, esp. by death (usually fol. by of): Illness bereaved them of their mother.
2. to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually fol. by of): The war bereaved them of their home.
3. Obsolete. to take away by violence.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME bereven, OE berēafian; c. D berooven, G berauben, Goth biraubōn. See be-, reave 1

Related forms:
be⋅reave⋅ment, noun
be⋅reav⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bereaved
be·reave   (bĭ-rēv')   
tr.v.   be·reaved or be·reft (-rěft'), be·reav·ing, be·reaves

  1. To leave desolate or alone, especially by death: "Cry aloud for the man who is dead, for the woman and children bereaved" (Alan Paton).

  2. Archaic To take (something valuable or necessary), typically by force.


[Middle English bireven, to deprive, from Old English berēafian; see reup- in Indo-European roots.]
be·reave'ment n., be·reav'er n.
be·reaved   (bĭ-rēvd')   
adj.  Suffering the loss of a loved one: the bereaved family.
n.  One or those bereaved: The bereaved has entered the church. The bereaved were comforted by their friends.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bereave 
O.E. bereafian "rob," from be + reafian "rob, plunder," from P.Gmc. *raubojanan. A common Gmc. formation (cf. Du. berooven, Ger. berauben, Goth. biraubon). Since c.1650, mostly in ref. to life, hope, loved ones, and other immaterial possessions. Past tense forms bereaved and bereft have co-existed since 14c., now slightly differentiated in meaning, the former applied to loss of loved ones, the latter to circumstances.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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