Definition

Verb (transitive, intransitive; past tense and past participle: reft or reaved) 1. To plunder, rob, or carry away by force; to take something away violently. This is the core meaning, describing an act of forceful seizure, often in the context of war, raiding, or destruction. 2. To deprive someone of something; to strip away. This sense focuses on the act of removal, leaving the subject bereft or lacking.

Usage

• As a transitive verb, it is used with a direct object (what is taken) and often a prepositional phrase (from whom/where it is taken).
  • The invaders sought to reave the village of its treasures.
  • The storm reft the trees of their branches.
• As an intransitive verb, it can be used with the preposition "on" or "upon" to mean "to carry out a raid."
  • The bandits would reave upon the coastal settlements.

Examples

• Verb (Transitive):
  • The marauding army reaved the countryside, leaving nothing of value behind.
  • Grief had reft her of all joy.
  • He was reft of his inheritance by a deceitful cousin.
• Verb (Intransitive):
  • In the old tales, dragons would reave upon the kingdom.

Advanced Usage

• "To reave someone of something": This is a common construction emphasizing the deprivation caused by the act of taking.
  • The scandal reft the politician of his reputation.
• The past participle "reft" is frequently used as an adjective meaning "bereft," "torn apart," or "stripped."
  • They stood among the reft ruins of the castle.
  • She felt reft and alone after the loss.

Variants and Related Words

• Bereave (verb): To be deprived of a loved one through death. This is the most common modern descendant of "reave."
  • The accident bereaved her of her husband.
• Bereft (adjective): Deprived of or lacking something, especially a non-material thing.
  • He was bereft of hope.
• Reaver (noun, archaic): One who reaves; a plunderer, a raider.
  • The reavers came from across the sea.

Synonyms

• Plunder: To steal goods from a place, typically using force and in a time of war or civil disorder.
• Despoil: To strip of possessions and things of value; to rob of something valuable.
• Pillage: To rob a place using violence, especially in war.
• Strip: To remove all coverings or possessions from.

Phrasal Verbs

• Reave from: To take something away from someone or something by force. (This is the standard prepositional use rather than a distinct phrasal verb).
  • They reaved the gold from the temple's altar.

Notes

• Register: The word "reave" is now primarily archaic or literary. It is rarely used in everyday modern English but appears in historical texts, poetry, and fantasy literature to evoke a sense of antiquity or violent seizure.
• The modern, more commonly used word with a related meaning is "bereave," though its usage is almost exclusively related to loss through death.

Verb

1. steal goods; take as spoils
   • During the earthquake people looted the stores that were deserted by their owners