Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Voracity; rapaciousness.
- noun Something taken as prey.
- noun The act or practice of preying.
from The Century Dictionary.
- See
raven .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective obsolete Ravenous.
- noun Food obtained by violence; plunder; prey; raven.
- verb See
raven , v. t. & i.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun obsolete
ravenous
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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"Ever since you did take the turn two days ago, you've laid there so quiet an 'peaceful -- no more dreams an' ravin '-- you've jest laid there
The Definite Object A Romance of New York Jeffery Farnol 1915
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Shucks, I done got plumb off from what I was tellin 'you jus' ravin ''bout my old furniture and things.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Georgia Narratives, Part 3 Work Projects Administration
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It's a poor case to be landin 'ravin' mad in a sthrange counthry, supposin 'you get there itself.
Strangers at Lisconnel Jane Barlow 1887
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"Th 'row goin' on was suthin 'terrible; a' 'sylum full o' ravin 'lunatics on th' rampage couldn't have made more noise; an 'them that hadn't been hurt was beginnin' t 'feel as bad as them that was, when someone scrambles down th' companionway.
Golden Stories A Selection of the Best Fiction by the Foremost Writers Various
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What right'd you to put a ravin 'lunatic in with me, an' me sick an 'helpless?
CHAPTER XXI 2010
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Presently, he turned from his meal and behold, a huge panther was creeping up to rend and ravin him; so he anointed his feet in haste with the juice and, descending to the surface of the water, fled walking over the Third Sea, in the darkness, for the night was black and the wind blew stark.
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Nawt named fur ravin mainiackz but fur “The Raven,” uv corss.
Yeah, we hooked up! - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2008
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Why do you care so much what I think if I'm a stark ravin' Mean Girl bitch?
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Vellentam, but me and meother ravin, my coosine of mine, have mour good three chancers, weothers, after Bohnaparts.
Finnegans Wake 2006
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Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
qroqqa commented on the word ravin
With tender hours and tempering dew to cure
The hunger and thirst of day’s distemperature
And ravin of the dry discolouring hours,
—Swinburne, Tristram of Lyonesse
The word is cognate with 'rapine', but I'm not sure of the exact sense here: rapine; or voracity; or plunder.
July 15, 2008