Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

bereft

 - 5 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.
Use bereft in a Sentence
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

Related forms:
be⋅reave⋅ment, noun
be⋅reav⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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).

  2. 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.
Cite This Source
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
Cite This Source
Search another word or see bereft on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
ExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyThe Daily BeastUrbanspoonAsk AnswersBloglinesSendori