bereave

English

WOTD – 22 September 2010

Etymology

From Middle English bireven, from Old English berēafian (“to bereave, deprive of, take away, seize, rob, despoil”), from Proto-Germanic *biraubōną, and Old English berēofan (“to bereave, deprive, rob of”); both equivalent to be- +‎ reave. Cognate with Dutch beroven (“to rob, deprive, bereave”), German berauben (“to deprive, rob, bereave”), Danish berøve (“to deprive of”), Norwegian berøve (“to deprive”), Swedish beröva (“to rob”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌱𐍉𐌽 (biraubōn).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /bɪˈɹiːv/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -iːv

Verb

bereave (third-person singular simple present bereaves, present participle bereaving, simple past and past participle bereaved or bereft)

1. (transitive) To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to strip; to benim.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     Madam, you have bereft me of all words,

   • 1719, Thomas Tickell, On the Death of Mr. Addison:

     bereft of him who taught me how to sing

2. (transitive, obsolete) To take away by destroying, impairing, or spoiling; take away by violence.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     All your interest in those territories / Is utterly bereft you; all is lost.

   • c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     […] shall move you to bereave my life.

3. (transitive) To deprive of power; prevent.
4. (transitive) To take away someone or something that is important or close; deprive.

   Death bereaved him of his wife.

   The castaways were bereft of hope.

5. (intransitive, rare) To destroy life; cut off.

Derived terms

• bereavement
• bereaver

Related terms

• reave

Translations

To take away someone or something important or close

• Bulgarian: отнемам (bg) (otnemam), лишавам от (lišavam ot)
• Czech: připravit (cs) pf o co
• Danish: berøve
• Dutch: beroven (nl), ontnemen (nl)
• Finnish: riistää (fi)
• French: arracher (fr)
• German: berauben (de)
• Hungarian: megfoszt (hu)
• Icelandic: svipta, ræna (is), (take away loved ones) svipta ástvinum
• Italian: privare (it)
• Latin: viduō, privo, spolio
• Old English: strūdan
• Polish: zabierać (pl), pozbawiać (pl), odbierać (pl)
• Portuguese: espoliar (pt)
• Russian: отнима́ть (ru) (otnimátʹ), лиша́ть (ru) (lišátʹ)
• Spanish: arrebatar (es), despojar (es), desposeer (es), privar (es)
• Swedish: beröva (sv), frånta (sv)
• Ukrainian: відбирати (vidbyraty), позбавляти (uk) (pozbavljaty)