rave

rave¹ (reɪv)

—vb
1.	to utter (something) in a wild or incoherent manner, as when mad or delirious
2.	(intr) to speak in an angry uncontrolled manner
3.	(intr) (of the sea, wind, etc) to rage or roar
4.	informal (intr; foll by over or about) to write or speak (about) with great enthusiasm
5.	slang (Brit) (intr) to enjoy oneself wildly or uninhibitedly

—n
6.	informal
	a. enthusiastic or extravagant praise
	b. (as modifier): a rave review
7.	slang (Brit)
	a. Also called: rave-up a party
	b. a professionally organized party for young people, with electronic dance music, sometimes held in a field or disused building
8.	slang (Brit) a fad or fashion: the latest rave
9.	a name given to various types of dance music, such as techno, that feature fast electronic rhythm

[C14 raven, apparently from Old French resver to wander]

rave² (reɪv)

—n
	a vertical sidepiece on a wagon

[C16: modification of dialect rathe, of uncertain origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

rave

late 14c., "to show signs of madness or delirium," from O.Fr. raver, variant of resver "to dream, wander, rave," of unknown origin (see reverie). The identical (in form) verb meaning "to wander, stray, rove" first appeared c.1300 in Scottish and northern dialect, and is

probably from an unrelated Scand. word (cf. Icelandic rafa). Sense of "talk enthusiastically about" first recorded 1704. Noun meaning "rowdy party" is from 1960, though rave-up was British slang for "wild party" from 1940; specific modern sense of "mass party with loud, fast electronic music and often psychedelic drugs" is from 1989. Raver, from this sense, is first recorded 1991.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

rave definition

n.
a party; a wild celebration. : Let's have a little rave next Friday.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

rave definition

[WPI] 1. To persist in discussing a specific subject.
2. To speak authoritatively on a subject about which one knows very little.
3. To complain to a person who is not in a position to correct the difficulty.
4. To purposely annoy another person verbally.
5. To evangelise. See flame.
6. Also used to describe a less negative form of blather, such as friendly bullshitting. "Rave" differs slightly from flame in that "rave" implies that it is the persistence or obliviousness of the person speaking that is annoying, while flame implies somewhat more strongly that the tone or content is offensive as well.
[Jargon File]

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

rave

see rant and rave; stark raving mad.