In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
RAVENING
edacious, esurient, rapacious, ravening, ravenous, voracious, wolfish
(adjective) devouring or craving food in great quantities; âedacious vulturesâ; âa rapacious appetiteâ; âravenous as wolvesâ; âvoracious sharksâ
rapacious, ravening, voracious
(adjective) excessively greedy and grasping; âa rapacious divorcee on the prowlâ; âravening creditorsâ; âpaying taxes to voracious governmentsâ
predatory, rapacious, raptorial, ravening, vulturine, vulturous
(adjective) living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey; âa predatory birdâ; âthe rapacious wolfâ; âraptorial birdsâ; âravening wolvesâ; âa vulturine taste for offalâ
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Present participle of the obsolete verb raven "to prey".
Adjective
ravening (comparative more ravening, superlative most ravening)
Voracious and greedy.
(archaic) Subject to the voracity of a predator.
Noun
ravening (plural ravenings)
(archaic, literary) Predation (of an animal); voracious eating or consumption.
Eagerness for plunder; rapacity; extortion.
Source: Wiktionary
Rav"en*ing, n.
Definition: Eagerness for plunder; rapacity; extortion. Luke xi. 39.
Rav"en*ing, a.
Definition: Greedily devouring; rapacious; as, ravening wolves.
– Rav"en*ing*ly, adv.
RAVEN
Ra"ven, n. Etym: [AS. hrÊfn; akin to raaf, G. rabe, OHG. hraban, Icel. hrafn, Dan. ravn, and perhaps to L. corvus, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Definition: A large black passerine bird (Corvus corax), similar to the crow, but larger. It is native of the northern part of Europe, Asia and America, and is noted for its sagacity. Sea raven (Zoöl.), the cormorant.
Ra"ven, a.
Definition: Of the color of the raven; jet black; as, raven curls; raven darkness.
Rav"en, n. Etym: [OF. ravine impetuosity, violence, F. ravine ravine. See Ravine, Rapine.] [Written also ravin, and ravine.]
1. Rapine; rapacity. Ray.
2. Prey; plunder; food obtained by violence.
Rav"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ravened; p. pr. & vb. n. Ravening.] Etym: [Written also ravin, and ravine.]
1. To obtain or seize by violence. Hakewill.
2. To devoir with great eagerness. Like rats that ravin down their proper bane. Shak.
Rav"en, v. i.
Definition: To prey with rapacity; to be greedy; to show rapacity. [Written also ravin, and ravine.] Benjamin shall raven as a wolf. Gen. xlix. 27.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
22 February 2025
ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., âthe father of the brideâ instead of âthe brideâs fatherâ
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