Definitions for raven
ˈræv ənraven

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. raven, Corvus coraxverb

   large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail

2. ravenverb

   obtain or seize by violence

3. raven, prey, predateverb

   prey on or hunt for

   "These mammals predate certain eggs"

4. devour, guttle, raven, pigverb

   eat greedily

   "he devoured three sandwiches"

5. ravenverb

   feed greedily

   "The lions ravened the bodies"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ravennoun

   for a girl with raven hair, used since the 1970s.

2. Etymology: hræfn, from hrabnaz (compare raaf, Rabe, ravn), from ḱorh₂- (compare crú, corvus, šárka ‘magpie’, Serbo-Croatian ‘id.’, κόραξ), from (compare crepare ‘to creak, crack’, ‘he laments, implores’).

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. RAVENnoun

   A large black fowl.

   Etymology: hræfn , Saxon.

   The raven himself is hoarse
   That crokes the fatal entrance of Duncan
   Under my battlements. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   Come thou day in night,
   For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night,
   Whiter than snow upon a raven ’s back. William Shakespeare.

   I have seen a perfectly white raven, as to bill as well as feathers. Robert Boyle, on Colours.

   He made the greedy ravens to be Elias’ caterers, and bring him food. Charles I .

   On sev’ral parts a sev’ral praise bestows,
   The ruby lips, and well-proportion’d nose,
   The snowy skin, the raven glossy hair,
   The dimpled cheek. John Dryden, Cymon and Iphigenia.

   The raven once in snowy plumes was drest,
   White as the whitest dove’s unsully’d breast,
   His tongue, his prating tongue had chang’d him quite
   To sooty blackness from the purest white. Addison.

2. To Ravenverb

   To devour with great eagerness and rapacity.

   Etymology: ræfian , Saxon, to rob.

   Thriftless ambition! that will raven up
   Thine own life’s means. William Shakespeare.

   Our natures do pursue,
   Like rats that raven down their proper bane,
   A thirsty evil; and when we drink we die. William Shakespeare.

   The cloyed will
   That satiate, yet unsatisfied desire, that tub
   Both fill’d and running, ravening first the lamb,
   Longs after for the garbage. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

   There is a conspiracy of the prophets, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. Ezek. xxii. 25.

3. To Ravenverb

   To prey with rapacity.

   Benjamin shall raven as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. Gen.

   The Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup; but their inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke xi.

   They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. Psalm xxii. 13.

   The more they fed, they raven’d still for more,
   They drain’d from Dan, and left Beersheba poor;
   But when some lay-preferment fell by chance,
   The Gourmands made it their inheritance. Dryden.

   Convulsions rack man’s nerves and cares his breast,
   His flying life is chas’d by rav’ning pains
   Through all his doubles in the winding veins. Richard Blackmore.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ravennoun

   a large black passerine bird (Corvus corax), similar to the crow, but larger. It is native of the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America, and is noted for its sagacity

2. Ravenadjective

   of the color of the raven; jet black; as, raven curls; raven darkness

3. Ravennoun

   rapine; rapacity

4. Ravennoun

   prey; plunder; food obtained by violence

5. Ravenverb

   to obtain or seize by violence

6. Ravenverb

   to devour with great eagerness

7. Ravenverb

   to prey with rapacity; to be greedy; to show rapacity

8. Etymology: [Written also ravin, and ravine.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Raven

   The Raven is one of several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied. They have black plumage and large beaks. Species are: ⁕Corvus albicollis – White-necked Raven ⁕Corvus corax – Common Raven ⁕Corvus coronoides – Australian Raven ⁕Corvus crassirostris – Thick-billed Raven ⁕Corvus cryptoleucus – Chihuahuan Raven ⁕Corvus mellori – Little Raven ⁕Corvus rhipidurus – Fan-tailed Raven ⁕Corvus ruficollis – Brown-necked Raven ⁕Corvus tasmanicus – Forest Raven Extinct: ⁕†Corvus moriorum – Chatham Raven ⁕†Corvus antipodum – New Zealand Raven Smaller-bodied species in the genus Corvus include the crows, jackdaws, and the rook.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Raven

   rā′vn, n. a kind of crow, noted for its croak and glossy black plumage.—adj. black, like a raven.—adj. Rā′ven-col′oured (Shak.).—ns. Rā′ven's-duck, fine hempen sail-cloth; Rā′venstone, a gallows. [A.S. hræfn; Ice. hrafn, Dut. raaf.]

2. Raven

   Ravin (B.), rav′n, v.t. to obtain by violence: to devour with great eagerness or voracity.—v.i. to prey rapaciously.—n. prey: plunder.—ns. Rav′ener, a plunderer; Rav′ening (B.), eagerness for plunder.—adjs. Rav′enous, Rav′ined, voracious: devouring with rapacity: eager for prey or gratification.—adv. Rav′enously.—n. Rav′enousness. [O. Fr. ravine, plunder—L. rapina, plunder.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. raven

   The raven symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the raven symbol and its characteristic.

2. raven

   Song lyrics by raven -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by raven on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Eat
   • Feed
   • Forage
   • Seize

Anagrams for raven »

1. Verna

How to pronounce raven?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say raven in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of raven in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of raven in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of raven in a Sentence

1. Lucius Annaeus Seneca:

   He that visits the sick in hopes of a legacy, but is never so friendly in all other cases, I look upon him as being no better than a raven that watches a weak sheep only to peck out its eyes.

2. Gary Marsh:

   There is only one Raven -- and for over 25 years, she has blessed audiences around the world with the greatest gift of all -- the pure, unadulterated joy of laugh-out-loud funny, after being a part of over 20 different Disney projects, we are thrilled to be bringing Raven home to Disney Channel once again.

3. Friedrich Nietzsche:

   Does wisdom perhaps appear on the earth as a raven which is inspired by the smell of carrion?

4. Jamal Lewis:

   George Gojkovich/Getty Images's a sad day to be a Raven I must say.

5. Nick Longrich:

   The fossil record is incomplete enough that if you’re in a new area or a new time, there’s a fair chance that the dinosaurs there are going to be distinct, Steven Jasinski said. For instance, scientists might discover a toe from a brand new species, but such subtle differences may be unrecognizable or impossible to prove. [ T ] hings that we call separate species today would be very, very hard to tell apart based on their skeleton( crow versus raven, for example).

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