Where does “raven” come from?
Raven comes from Middle English raven, from Old English hræfn, which may derive from Old English ġerēfa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to seize or grab.
raven (English): Any of several, generally large and lustrous...
Definitions
- Any of several, generally large and lustrous...
Ancestry of “raven”, step by step
raven traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English raven
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | raven | to wander; to rave; talk like a madman |
| 2 | Old English | hræfn | raven |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hrabn | raven |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via Middle English reven
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | reven | plural of reve; To cause someone to lose... |
| 2 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |