reaver en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈɹiːvə(ɹ)/
Etymology
From Middle English revere (also revour, reiver, refar, reavere), from Old English rēafere (“reaver; robber; spoiler”), equivalent to reave + -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Roower, Dutch rover, German Räuber, Swedish rövare, Icelandic raufari. Compare robber, rover.
Meanings
-
One who reaves; a plunderer, marauder, or pillager.
nobody knows where these reavers from hell roam in their errands.
1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 7:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| reiver | alternative | lexicographic | |
| riever | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| reavers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Hyponyms
pirate (at sea)