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
| 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 |
Words derived from “raven”