bereave, v.
(bɪˈriːv)
Pa. tense and pa. pple. bereaved; pa. pple. also bereft. Forms: 1 beréafian, 2–3 biræuien, 2–6 bireve, 3 bireave(n, 3–4 birefe(n, 4–6 byreve, bereve, 5 berefe, bereffe, byreeve, 6 bereeve, (berive, byryve), 6–7 berieve, 7 bereauve, 6– bereave. pa. tense, 1 bereafode, 2–3 bereafde, beræfde, 2–4 biræuede, bireuede, 4 birefte, 4–5 byrafte, 4–6 beraft(e, berefte, 5 berafft, berefte, 5– bereft, 6– bereaved. pa. pple. 6– bereaved, bereft. Early forms corres. to pa. tense; also 6–7 bereiven, 6–9 bereaven.
[Com. Teut.: OE. bi-, beréafian = OFris. birâv(i)a, OS. birôƀôn, (MDu. beroven, Du. berooven), OHG. biroubôn, (MHG. berouben, mod.G. berauben), Goth. biraubôn:—OTeut. *birauƀôjan, f. bi-, be- + *rauƀôjan, in OE. réafian to plunder, spoil, rob; see reave v.]
1. trans. To deprive, rob, strip, dispossess (a person, etc., of a possession; the latter orig. expressed by the genitive). Since c1650 mostly of immaterial possessions, life, hope, etc., except in reference to the loss of relatives by death. (In the former case bereft, in the latter bereaved, is more usual in the pa. tense and pa. pple.)
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. v. §3 Heo hit ne mæᵹ his ᵹewittes bereafian. c 1205 Lay. 2896 Þus wes þas kineriche · of heora kinge biræued [1250 bireued]. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6671 Lest they berafte..Folk of her catel or of her thing. 1529 More Conf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1183/2 He hadde..byreued hym of hys rest. 1577 Harrison England ii. xx. 330 Beereving some fruits of their kernels. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 177 Madam, you have bereft me of all words. 1622 Heylin Cosmogr. i. (1682) 104 They bereaved the women..of the hair of their heads. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. (1711) 17 That angel's face hath me of rest bereaven. 1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters II. 106 It is there bereft of all its volatile parts. 1833 H. Coleridge Poems I. 143 Ere thy birth, of sire bereaven. 1841 D'Israeli Amen. Lit. (1867) 222 The accident which had bereaved the father of his child. |
† b. with at for of. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 30311 Ic hine biræuien wulle · at his baren liue [1250 bireaue..of his bare liue]. |
c. with double object (to bereave any one a possession), the former probably at first dative. In the passive the impersonal object was originally the subject, but in 17th c. either object might be so used. arch.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 33 Hie him bireueden alle hise riche weden. c 1200 Ormin 2832 Himm wass hiss spæche..all biræfedd. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 503 His sleep, his mete, his drynk is him byraft. 1530 Elyot Gov. i. xii, Enuy had..bireft hym his lyfe. 1557 K. Arth. (Copland) i. vii, Many landes that were bereued lordes, knyghtes, ladyes and gentylmen. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 85 All your Interest in those Territories Is utterly bereft you. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 918 Bereaue me not..thy gentle looks, thy aid. 1806 Scott Wandering Willie, All joy was bereft me the day that you left me. |
2. To rob, plunder, despoil (a possessor); to deprive of anything valued; to leave destitute, orphaned, or widowed. See also bereaved.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 79 Ho him bireueden and ho him ferwundeden. c 1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 124, I was ofte berevyd. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xiv. (1632) 763 The King bereauving enemies, to enrich his friends. 1867 G. Macdonald Poems 10, I cry to thee with all my might Because I am bereft. |
† 3. To snatch away (a possession); to remove or take away by violence. Obs.
| c 1320 Cast. Loue 1349 Þe meste strengþe he al bi-reuede. c 1386 Chaucer Sompn. T. 403 Who so wold us fro the world byreve..He wolde byreve out of this world the sonne. 1571 Norton & Sackv. Gorboduc iv. i. (1847) 132 Whome no mishap..could haue bereued hence. c 1600 Death Jane Seymour in Evans O. Ball. (1784) II. viii. 57 He from this joy was soon bereav'n. a 1617 Bayne On Eph. (1658) 13 When the blessings of this life are bereaved. a 1622 Wither Brit. Rememb. 170 Have..(Like Iezabell) oppressed and bereav'n The poore mans portion. 1718 Pope Iliad xx. 549 Thy life, Echechus! next the sword bereaves. |
† b. Const. from a possessor. Obs.
| c 1440 Partonope 3267 This craft Ye haue clene from me beraft. c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 109 Fro the thyrde [knight] he berafte his sholder with the arme. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 835 From me by strong assault it is bereft. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Iustine 119 a, They wold bereaue kingdomes from these kings in despight of them. |