Etymograph

English

ravin

Ravin comes from Latin rapīna ‘pillage, plunder, robbery, rapine’, from Proto-Italic *rapjō ‘to seize, take away’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rep- ‘to snatch’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rep-‘to snatch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rapjō‘to seize, take away’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiō
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapīna‘pillage, plunder, robbery, rapine’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400ravein
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ravin
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1530same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁rep-‘to snatch’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rapjō‘to seize, take away’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiō
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapīna‘pillage, plunder, robbery, rapine’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400ravein
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ravin
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1530same form

Earliest quotation: 1530, The Table of Verbes: “He is an horrible lurtcher ſe howe he rauyneth:…”

The story

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).

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *rapjō ‘to seize, take away’

rapidity, 7 more

through Latin rapiō

rape, rapid, rapture, raptor, rapacious, rapt, 8 more

through Middle English ravin

raven

Today it means

noun Property obtained or seized by force or violence; booty, plunder, spoils.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁rep- / ravin

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