Related Searches
Nearby Words

raven

 [rey-vuhn]   Origin

ra·ven

1   [rey-vuhn]
noun
1.
any of several large, corvine birds having lustrous, black plumage and a loud, harsh call, especially Corvus corax, of the New and Old Worlds.
2.
the divine culture hero and trickster of the North Pacific Coast Indians.
3.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Corvus.
adjective
4.
lustrous black: raven locks of hair.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Raven is always a great word to know.
So is absolute magnitude. Does it mean:
any of the nine large heavenly bodies revolving about the sun and shining by reflected light: a similar body revolving about a star other than the sun
the magnitude of a star as it would appear to a hypothetical observer at a distance of 10 parsecs or 32.6 light-years
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English hrǣfn; cognate with German Rabe, Old Norse hrafn

Related forms
ra·ven·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

rav·en

2   [rav-uhn]
verb (used without object)
1.
to seek plunder or prey.
2.
to eat or feed voraciously or greedily: to raven like an animal.
3.
to have a ravenous appetite.
verb (used with object)
4.
to seize as spoil or prey.
5.
to devour voraciously.
noun
6.
rapine; robbery.
7.
plunder or prey.
Also, ravin.

Origin:
1485–95; earlier ravine < Middle French raviner, ultimately < Latin rapīna rapine

Raven, The

 
noun
a lyric poem (1845) by Edgar Allan Poe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To raven
Collins
World English Dictionary
raven1 (ˈreɪvən)
 
—n
1.  a large passerine bird, Corvus corax, having a large straight bill, long wedge-shaped tail, and black plumage: family Corvidae (crows). It has a hoarse croaking cry
2.  a.  a shiny black colour
 b.  (as adjective): raven hair
 
[Old English hrǣfn; related to Old High German hraban, Old Norse hrafn]

raven2 (ˈrævən)
 
—vb
1.  to seize or seek (plunder, prey, etc)
2.  to eat (something) voraciously or greedily; be ravenous in eating
 
[C15: from Old French raviner to attack impetuously; see ravenous]
 
'ravener2
 
—n

Raven (ˈreɪvən)
 
—n
a traditional trickster hero among the native peoples of the Canadian Pacific Northwest
 
[from raven1]

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

raven
O.E. hræfn (Mercian), hrefn; hræfn (Northumbrian, W.Saxon), from P.Gmc. *khrabanas (cf. O.N. hrafn, Dan. ravn, Du. raaf, O.H.G. hraban, Ger. Rabe "raven," O.E. hroc "rook"), from PIE base *qer-, *qor-, imitative of harsh sounds (cf. L. crepare "to creak, clatter," cornix "crow," corvus "raven;"
EXPAND
Gk. korax "raven," korone "crow;" O.C.S. kruku "raven;" Lith. krauklys "crow").
"The common raven is easily tamed, but is mischievous and thievish, and has been popularly regarded as a bird of evil omen and mysterious character." [OED]
O.E. also used hræmn, hremm. The raven standard was the flag of the Danish Vikings.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary

Raven definition


Heb. 'orebh, from a root meaning "to be black" (comp. Cant. 5:11); first mentioned as "sent forth" by Noah from the ark (Gen. 8:7). "Every raven after his kind" was forbidden as food (Lev. 11:15; Deut. 14:14). Ravens feed mostly on carrion, and hence their food is procured with difficulty (Job 38:41; Ps. 147:9). When they attack kids or lambs or weak animals, it is said that they first pick out the eyes of their victims (Prov. 30:17). When Elijah was concealed by the brook Cherith, God commanded the ravens to bring him "bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening" (1 Kings 17:3-6). (See ELIJAH.) There are eight species of ravens in Palestine, and they are everywhere very numerous in that land.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Images for raven
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT