# reave

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɹiːv/

## Definitions
1. To plunder, pillage, rob, pirate, or remove.
2. To deprive (a person) of something through theft or violence.

## Etymology
From Middle English reven, from Old English rēafian, from Proto-West Germanic *raubōn.
Germanic cognates include West Frisian rave, Old English rēaf (“spoils, booty”)), and Old English past participle rofen (“torn, broken”), Norwegian rjuva, German rauben, Danish røve, and Swedish röva. Outside of Germanic, related to Latin rumpō (“to break”), Lithuanian rùpti (“to roughen”), Sanskrit रोपयति (ropayati, “to make suffer”)). See rob and reif.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/reave