rav·ing

[rey-ving]
adjective
1.
talking wildly; delirious; frenzied: a raving maniac.
2.
Informal. extraordinary or remarkable: a raving beauty.
adverb
3.
furiously or wildly: a remark that made me raving mad.
noun
4.
Usually, ravings.
a.
irrational, incoherent talk: Putting him in a straitjacket did not stop his ravings.
b.
wildly extravagant or outrageous talk; bombast.

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English; see rave, -ing2, -ing1

rav·ing·ly, adverb
un·rav·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

rave

1 [reyv] verb, raved, rav·ing, noun, adjective
verb (used without object)
1.
to talk wildly, as in delirium.
2.
to talk or write with extravagant enthusiasm: She raved about her trip to Europe.
3.
(of wind, water, storms, etc.) to make a wild or furious sound; rage.
verb (used with object)
4.
to utter as if in madness.
noun
5.
an act of raving.
6.
an extravagantly enthusiastic appraisal or review of something.
7.
Chiefly British Slang. a boisterous party, especially a dance.
adjective
8.
extravagantly flattering or enthusiastic: rave reviews of a new play.

Origin:
1325–75; 1915–25 for def 2; Middle English raven (v.), probably < Middle French resver to wander, be delirious

rav·er, noun


1. rant, rage, storm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To raving
00:10
Raving is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
rave1 (reɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
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) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a vertical sidepiece on a wagon
 
[C16: modification of dialect rathe, of uncertain origin]

raving (ˈreɪvɪŋ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  a.  delirious; frenzied
 b.  (as adverb): raving mad
2.  informal (intensifier): a raving beauty
 
n
3.  (usually plural) frenzied, irrational, or wildly extravagant talk or utterances
 
'ravingly
 
adv

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.

raving
late 15c.; see rave; sense of "remarkable" is from 1841.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

rave definition


  1. 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.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
He has a cache about him that has college quarterback coaches raving about his
  future.
Besides it's not the scientists ranting and raving about climate change,
  because you're right, they don t make the decisions.
But when the movie came out she kept raving about it.
Patients and providers alike are raving about this encrypted form of
  e-communication.
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