ravin

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ravin

/ˈɹæv(ɪ)n/ UK
/ˈɹæv(ə)n/ US

Rhymes with -ævɪn, -ævən

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English ravin, ravine, raven (“rapine, robbery; rape; force, violence; greed, rapacity; stolen goods, booty, plunder; prey, quarry; pursuit of prey; predatoriness, voracity”), from Anglo-Norman ravein, raveine, ravine (“rapine, robbery; rape; force, violence; greed, rapacity; impetuousness; stolen goods”), Middle French ravine, and Old French ravine (“rapine, robbery; force, violence; impetuousness”), from Latin rapīna (“pillage, plunder, robbery, rapine; booty, plunder”), from rapiō (“to abduct, carry off; to grab, snatch; to rape; to steal”) (from Proto-Italic *rapjō (“to seize, take away”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rep- (“to snatch”)) + -īna (suffix forming abstract nouns).

The adjective is derived from Middle English ravin, ravine (“predatory; ravenous”), from Middle English ravin, ravine (noun): see above.

The verb is not attested before the 16th century, but words like Middle English raviner, ravinour (“plunderer; robber; rapist; predator”), ravening (“act of robbery; predatoriness, rapacity”, noun), and ravening, ravining (“(adjective) savage, ravening; (noun) preceded by ‘the’: the devil”) suggest that it existed in the 14th and 15th centuries, and was probably derived from the noun. Compare Middle French raviner (“to make furrows”), Old French raviner (“to take by force; to rush; to stream”) (modern French raviner).

noun ravins · raven · ravine

archaic, countable, literary, uncountable Property obtained or seized by force or violence; booty, plunder, spoils. Petra, through its rocky ramparts, was well suited, as Nineveh in the huge circuit of its massive walls was well built, to be the receptacle of ravin.
archaic, literary, uncountable Of a (predatory) animal: seizing or devouring of food or prey; predation. [T]he rage and furie of the barbarous nations brake out into a flaming fire: and like as vvild beaſts, vvont to live of ravine and prey vvhen keepers be ſlacke and negligent, […] vvithout regard of life, run upon vvhole heards and flockes of cattell: […]
archaic, figuratively, literary, uncountable Gluttony, greed, rapacity; also, the quality of being predatory; predatoriness. [W]ith hot Ravine fir'd, enſanguined Man / Is novv become the Lyon of the Plain, / And vvorſe.
Similar: avarice, covetise, covetousness, cupidity, gluttony, greed, greediness, Mammon, rapaciousness, rapacity, ravin, voracity
archaic, countable, literary, obsolete, rare A predatory animal; a predator. […] Nurſe Amaranta / In a remove from Mora to Corduba / VVas ſeiz'd on by a fierce and hungry Bear, / She vvas the Ravins prey, as heaven ſo vvould, […]
archaic, literary, obsolete, uncountable Obtaining or seizing property by force or violence; pillage, plunder, robbery; (countable, chiefly in the plural) an instance of this. The. iiii. rule. […] If thou withdrawe thine handes, and forbere, / The rauens of anyething: remember than, / How his [Jesus's] innocent handes nailed were.
Similar: pillaging, plundering, rapine
archaic, literary, obsolete, uncountable That which a predatory animal seizes for food; prey; also (hunting) an animal which is hunted; quarry. [H]is deepe deuouring iavves / VVyde gaped, like the grieſly mouth of hell, / Through vvhich into his darke abyſſe all rauin fell.

adjective more ravin · most ravin · raven · ravine

archaic, literary, obsolete Ravenous. […] I am the cauſe / His death vvas ſo effected: Better 'tvvere / I met the rauine Lyon vvhen he roar'd / VVith ſharpe conſtraint of hunger: better 'tvvere, / That all the miſeries vvhich nature ovves / VVere mine at once.

verb ravins · ravining · ravined · ravin

archaic, literary, transitive Sometimes followed by away or from: to obtain or seize (something, especially property) by force or violence; to plunder. [They] aſſaulted by night a certen aũciẽt [auncient] gentleman at home in his owne houſe, which had done thē [them] no diſpleaſure, and being a ſlepe in his bed at their cõming [comming], whan he had hardly eſcaped awaye half naked, rauening and diſtroying his goodes, they ſpoyled his wyfe and chyld
archaic, literary, transitive Sometimes followed by down, up, or (obsolete) in: to eat (something, such as food or prey) greedily; to devour, to wolf down. Her princes in the middes thereof are like vvolues, rauening yͤ pray [prey] to ſhed blood, and to ſhed blood, and to deſtroye ſoules for their ovvne couetous lucre.
archaic, figuratively, literary, transitive To absorb or take in (something, such as information) greedily; also, to approach or pounce on (someone) like prey. [S]he fenced them in their need / With iron-handed Duty's sternest creed, / 'Gainst Self's lean wolf that ravens word and deed.
archaic, intransitive, literary Followed by about, after, or for: to go after or seek for something, especially booty or spoils; to maraud, to plunder; also (generally), to move about wildly and cause damage; to rampage. Transferd by fortune to the Scottiſh meare, / To ranſack that, as it had been rauin'd heere.
archaic, intransitive, literary To eat greedily; also, followed by on or upon: of an animal: to prey on. He is an horrible lurtcher ſe howe he rauyneth: […]
archaic, intransitive, literary Sometimes followed by about or on: to move about searching for food or prey ravenously. Beniamin ſhal rauine as a vvolfe: in the morning, he ſhal deuoure the praie, and at night he ſhal diuide the ſpoile.
archaic, intransitive, literary Sometimes followed by after or for: to have a ravenous appetite or craving for food or prey. [B]ecause hogs are commonly rauening for their meat, more then other cattel, it is meet therefore to haue them ringed, or elſe they will doe much hurt in digging and turning vp corne fieldes, […]
archaic, intransitive, literary Originally followed by with: to experience great hunger; to be ravenous. For hovv […] ſhall I knovv thee to be a man, vvhen thou kickeſt like an aſſe, neygheſt like an Horſe after vvomen, raueſt in luſt like a Bull, raueneſt like a Beare, ſtingeſt like a Scorpion, rakeſt like a VVolfe, as ſuttle as a Foxe, as impudent as a Dogge; ſhall I ſay thou art man that haſt all th
archaic, figuratively, intransitive, literary To take and exploit or make use of greedily.
archaic, figuratively, intransitive, literary Sometimes followed by after or for: to have a strong craving or desire for, or to do, something; to crave, to desire, to yearn. Iſa[belle]. She has qualmes too every morning: ravins mightily for green-fruit; and ſvvoones at the ſight of hot meat. / Non[such]. She's vvith Childe! I am undone: I am undone!

Translations

Every language

noun gluttony, greed, rapacity — see also gluttony, greed

Português	{{t+\|1=pt\|2=rapina\|3=f}}, {{t+\|1=pt\|2=voraz\|3=m\|4=f}}
Română	{{t+\|1=ro\|2=rapacitate\|3=f}}

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MLA

"ravin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ravin. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ravin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ravin

Chicago

"ravin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ravin.

BibTeX

@misc{ravin_2026,
  title = {ravin},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ravin},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}