From Middle English raven (“to rave; talk like a madman”), from Old French raver, variant of resver, of uncertain origin. Compare rave below, and rove.
Meanings
(countable, informal) An enthusiastic review (such as of a play).
The first-night audience, yes. The first-night reviewers, not exactly. The notices have so far been mixed, only The Financial Times having delivered itself of an unequivocal rave. 1989, The New York Times Theater Reviews, 1920-, volume 18, page 167:
It was the critic's rave that made me want to see the show.
(countable, uncountable) A large-scale dance party with strobe lights and fast-paced electronic dance music, often illegally organized open-air or in underground venues.
She has attended a rave every weekend this month.
(uncountable) The genres of electronic dance music made to be played in rave parties.
Maybe I wear baggies / And white socks with flip-flops / Maybe I don't like listening to rave / And I'm not on the social mountaintops 2009, Chrysalis Experiential Academy, Mind Harvesting, page 109:
From Middle English raven (“to rave; talk like a madman”), from Old French raver, variant of resver, of uncertain origin. Compare rave below, and rove.
Meanings
(intransitive) To be mentally unclear; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging.
The mingled torrent of redcoats and tartans went raving down the valley to the gorge of Killiecrankie. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XIII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
Have I not cause to rave and beat my breast? 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i, page 47:
(intransitive) To speak or write wildly or incoherently.
"She is in trance. Your daughter, sir, is a powerful medium." "A medium! You are raving." 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
(followed by "about", intransitive, qualifier:"of"; "for"; "against" or (formerly) "on"; "of"; "for"; "against" or (formerly) "on") To talk or otherwise express oneself with excessive enthusiasm, passion or excitement.
The Lisbon mob, inflamed by the newspapers, and excited by the example of Brazil, raved a day or two for a republic 1890, The Review of Reviews, volume 1, Office of the Review of Reviews, page 94:
He raved about her beauty.
“A beautiful country!”
“I suppose it is. Everybody says so.”
“Your cousin Feenix raves about it, Edith,” interposed her mother from her couch. 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
The hallowed scene / Which others rave on, though they know it not. 1812, Lord Byron, “Canto I”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, stanza LXII:
(transitive) To speak (a message) with intense enthusiasm, passion or excitement.
She raved that she must seek revenge against the wrongdoers.
some-times she raved that she cared nought for the future happiness of Ram Ruoy and would not go. 1909, The Word, volume 9, Theosophical Publishing Company, page 127:
The Berkeley Courier critic, an Englishwoman, raved: "A new company has started up in our midst, and they provided me last Saturday evening with the best theatrical experience I have had in a very long time, maybe ever..." 1985, Helen Epstein, Tina Packer Builds a Theatre, Plunkett Lake Press:
"Paloma, Paloma!" raved a delirious backer. "Paloma for a thousand!" 1923 September, Harley P. Lathrop, McClure's Magazine, S.S. McClure, page 28:
(obsolete) To rush wildly or furiously.
Under a mightie rocke, gainst which do rave
The roaring billowes in their proud disdaine 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
(intransitive) To attend a rave (dance party).
The situation with Tommy's parents made me grateful my parents hadn't caught on to my partying that summer. How had I gotten away with raving every weekend, and sometimes on Thursday nights too? 2021, Samantha Durbin, Raver Girl: Coming of Age in the 90s:
es subir hasta las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · es no dejar de hablar de (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · es elogiar (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · bg говоря възторжено (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · fi reivata (to attend a rave) · ang woffian (to speak or write incoherently) · ar احتفل (to attend a rave) · es desbarrar (to speak or write incoherently) · it farneticare (to speak or write incoherently) · th เพ้อ (to speak or write incoherently) · es poner sobre las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · th รำพัน (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · it vaneggiare (to speak or write incoherently) · pt malucar (to speak or write incoherently) · fi höpistä (to speak or write incoherently) · es levantar a las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · de phantasieren (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · mi tupehau (to speak or write incoherently) · fi höpöttää (to speak or write incoherently) · es devanear (to speak or write incoherently) · fi houria (to speak or write incoherently) · es ponderar (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · es disparatar (to speak or write incoherently) · de schwärmen (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · fi ylistää (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · it sragionare (to speak or write incoherently) · es desvariar (to speak or write incoherently) · mi pahupahu (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · ru быть в восто́рге от (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · ang āwoffian (to speak or write incoherently) · pt desvairar (to speak or write incoherently) · fi horista (to speak or write incoherently) · es subir a las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · es decir maravillas de (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · es delirar (to speak or write incoherently) · es alabar (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · de raven (to attend a rave) · pt tresloucar (to speak or write incoherently) · mi tīhāhā (to speak or write incoherently) · mi rūtā (to speak or write incoherently) · pt devanear (to speak or write incoherently) · es poner por las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · th พร่ำเพ้อ (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · la ālūcinor (to speak or write incoherently) · de rasen (to speak or write incoherently) · pt tresvairar (to speak or write incoherently) · mi hakahaka (to speak or write incoherently) · ru расхва́ливать (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · it delirare (to speak or write incoherently) · bg говоря несвързано (to speak or write incoherently) · de toben (to speak or write incoherently) · es poner en las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about) · pt delirar (to speak or write incoherently) · es levantar hasta las nubes (to talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion; followed by about)
From northern Middle English raven, from Old Norse ráfa (“to wander, roam”), of uncertain and obscure origin. Perhaps from a dissimilation of Proto-Germanic *wab(b)ōną (“to sway, waver, swing, shake, wobble, totter, reel, careen”), from Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- (“to move, swarm, waft”). Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk rava (“to wander, be delirious”). Doublet of rove.
Compare also Middle Dutch reven (“to utter nonsense, rave, be drowsy”) (whence modern Dutch revelen (“to rave, talk nonsense”), Middle Low German rēven (“to be crazy, think and talk nonsensically”), Middle High German reben (“to move about, dream, be confused”) (compare Alemannic German räbeln (“to make loud noise”)).
Meanings
(Newfoundland, Scotland, intransitive) To wander or roam.
(Newfoundland, Scotland, intransitive) To stray or err.
English dialect raves, or rathes (“a frame laid on a wagon, for carrying hay, etc.”).
Meanings
One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.
Next I weld a collar on, A, to keep the brake in place when on the sled; then make a two-eyed bolt to fasten the brake to the rave. 1891, Milton Thomas Richardson, Practical Blacksmithing, page 192:
The superstructure of the tender is modified by the removal of the side raves, and compartments for the fire-irons are formed on each side of the coal bunker. 1956 April, “"Merchant Navy" Class Pacific Modified”, in Railway Magazine, page 212:
It was astonishing to see how he had gnawed the rave of the sled. 1851, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, volume 3, page 519:
The main lever rests upon the rave when not in use. 1875, Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, page 345: