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bereft

 - 4 dictionary results

be⋅reft

[bi-reft]
–verb
1. a pt. and pp. of bereave.
–adjective
2. deprived: They are bereft of their senses. He is bereft of all happiness.

Origin:
1525–35; be- + reft

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


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 bereft
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·reft   (bĭ-rěft')   
v.  A past tense and a past participle of bereave.
adj.  
    1. Deprived of something: They are bereft of their dignity.

    2. Lacking something needed or expected: "Today's graduates seem keenly aware that the future is bereft of conventional expectations" (Bruce Weber).

  1. Suffering the death of a loved one; bereaved: the bereft parents.

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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