raven - Middle English Compendium

Middle English Dictionary Entry

rāven n.

Entry Info

Forms	rāven n. Also raven(n)e, raveine, ravin, ravon, ravoun, rafen, rafne, raiven, reven(e, revin & (early) reafen; sg.gen. ravenes, etc. & (early) reavenes, reafnes, h)refnes, rifnes, remes & (errors) raues, rauenenes.
Etymology	OE hræfn, hrefn, LOE hrem(m, ræfen, refen & (sg.gen.) hreafnes; cp. OI hrafn.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

(a) The raven (Corvus corax); ?also, the rook (Corvus frugilegus); (b) the carrion crow (Corvus corone); (c) raven(es brid, a young raven; raven(es fether; raven(es kinde, a raven's nature; buk-raven, q.v.; (d) her. the figure of a raven in a coat of arms; ~ hedes; ~ bile hedes, hooked heads of axes in a coat of arms; (e) the southern constellation Corvus; (f) in proverbs and comparisons; lik a ravenes bile, blak as a ~, etc.

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Associated quotations

c1175 Stw.57 Gloss.(Stw 57)411 : Coruus: Raven, i. corf.
a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)311 : Ðe rauen is swiðe redi, weneð ðat ge rotieð.
c1300 SLeg.Fran.(1) (LdMisc 108)313 : Heo deide þane þridde day..Rauon ne pie no oþur foul nolde enes come þare-neiȝ.
a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)603 : Fowerti dais after ðis, Arches windoge undon it is; Ðe rauen ut fleg.
?c1335 Heil seint Michel (Hrl 913)p.155 : Hail, seint Franceis, wiþ þi mani foulis, Kites and crowis, reuenes and oules.
c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)792 : Corb, corf, et charderole: Roke, Rauen, and goldefynch.
(a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.339 : A ravoun [vr. reven; Higd.(2): raven; L corvus] sat uppon þe riȝht schulder of Valerius.
(a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.457 : Everiche ȝere in his feste day ravons [vr. revons], crowes, and chouȝhes comeþ þider to gidres out of everiche side..and þat day..is i-ȝeve hem a careyn of a deed hors.
(a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)82b/a : Me schal by garsinge drawe out þre dropes of blood..& profriþ ham wiþ a raues [read: rauenes] ey to þe pacient.
c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)455 : Þat watz þe raven so ronk, þat rebel watz ever; He watz colored as þe cole, corbyal untrwe.
c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)362 : There was..The raven wys, the crowe with vois of care.
c1450(c1440) Scrope Othea (StJ-C H.5)64/24 : The fable seith that the crowe mette the ravin whan he broughte the tidingis of..Corinis.
a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)1146 : Rafenys he wolde kepe & oft hem fede.
c1450(a1425) MOTest.(SeldSup 52)327 : A rayuen he sent furth to seke the land.
c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)24/30 : Take a ravennys tord and put it in the holow toth.
a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)14249 : A Reuene [F corbel].. Bar a chese with-Inne hyr mouht.
c1475 Body Pol.(Cmb Kk.1.5)127/34 : The god Mars..sent him a ravon [F corbeau] that with his becke and his talons smote his enmye.
?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)102a : A Ravyn: Corax, Coruus.
a1500(c1410) Dives & P.(Htrn 270)2.268 : Than comyth þe pye or þe rafne and billyth out þe on eye and aftirward þe oþir eye.
a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)228/3 : In the morowe come litel blake rauones, and they dide rere hym vp syttyng vpon the hors in-to the eyre.
a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)38/499 : The ravyn is a hungrye All way..And he fynd any caryon..he will not away.

(1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)424 : Ravene, byrd: Cornix.
?a1500 Lndsb.Nominale (Lndsb)761/33 : Cornix: a rewyn.

c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)45/14,18 : Þe bacbitere..walde pilewin & toteoren wið his bile rotet, stinkinde flesch, as is reauenes [Nero: reafnes] cunde..he is to ȝiuer reuen [Nero: reafen] & to bald mid alle.
(c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.2144 : His longe heer was kembed bihynde his bak; As any rauenes [vr. rauen] fethere it shoon for blak.
(a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)137b/a : Rauen briddes [L pullos coruinos], while þey ben whitliche in feþeres or þey ben blake, dewe fediþ..hem.
(a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)141b/a : Oþir foules þere ben þat eten now fleische and now fruyt indifferentliche..as alle foules of raueyne kynde, as chowghes, crowes, rookes, and rauenes and pyes.
c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)224/709 : Take a tode and an eddire..& buke rafen and brenne hem in a pot þat is new alto powdre.
?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)106/32 : Take rauynnys-bryddys all quyke owte of here neste, and..brenne hem.

a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)275 : Upon his creste a rauen stode, That yaned as he were wode, And aboute his necke a bell.
(c1460) Bk.Arms in Anc.5 (Hrl 2169)175 : iij ravyn hedys rased of sabyll.
(c1460) Bk.Arms in Anc.7191 : Sir Richard Gethen port argent une cheweron de aseure iij corbews de sabyll [illust. desig.:] revenys.
(c1460) Bk.Arms in Anc.7201 : [Silver, three axes sable] wyth revyn byll hedys.

c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)1004 : Thou redest..How goddes gonne stellifye Bridd, fissh, best, or him or here, As the Raven, or eyther Bere, Or Arionis harpe fyn.

c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)15169 : Wurðe for niðing þe mon þe nule hine sturien, habben bares heorte and remes brede.
c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)453 : Blak as a rauon it is.
a1400 Cursor (Göt Theol 107)3332 : Ete no drinc nouþer he wolde, Til he him had his erand told..Licnes to reuyn had he nane.
a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)1892 : Þe messangere..þat dwelleþ longe in his Iourney, He may be calde wiþ resoun clere Oon of þe rauenenes [Vsp: corbun] messangere.
?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.295 : His stede was blak as rauen.
c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)5616 : Alle hei gorgen as a rauene.
c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.6603 : Like as þe rauen, with his feþeres blake, With-Inne his nest wil ofte tyme make Ageyn þe faukon..Ful harde diffence.
?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)110/37 : To suche folk it is an euyll meetynge of Ravenes.
?a1425 Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16:Warner)143/15 : Ȝalowe myse als grete as ravenes.
a1450 PNoster R.Hermit (Westm-S 3)38/7 : Rauenes..nouþer sowe corn ne repen..By þese rauenes I vndirstonde þe deueles childre of helle.
a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)13810 : I lernede..the maner off The Rauenys song, Wych..Ys wont to synge ay 'craas, craas.'
c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)30a/a : Þer beþ two oþere smale schorte bonys þe whiche ben callid Ossa rostralia, bi cause þat þei ben lijk a rauenes bile.
-?-(?a1500) Prov.Cat.MSS.Lin-C.in Whiting Prov.483 : Whan the Raven cryeth befor the crowe, Than may the husbonde ere and sowe; Whan the crowe cryeth befor the Raven, Than drawe Shippis in to the haven.

(a) Coll. Gall nuts of the oak (Quercus infectoria), used to make black ink; (b) raven(es fot = polipodi(e n.; ?also, the periwinkle (Vinca herbacea); also, = croues fot [s.v. croue n. 2.(d)]; ravenes lek, a plant of the genus Orchis.

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Associated quotations

c1450 Mandev.(4) (CovCRO Acc.325/1)2262 : Hit groweth without vppon the tre, As ravenne growith in an oke.

?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B:Berberich)85.31/3 : Wið wæter-seocnysse nim þeos wyrt an hrefnesfot.
?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B:Berberich)85.33 : Wið innoþ astirȝenne ȝenim þas wyrt, þe grecas chamedafne & engle hrefnesfot nennað.
?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B:Berberich)122.106/1 : Þeos wyrt..man satirion & oþrum nama hrefnesleac nemneþ..& eac sume men priaprisci hataþ.
c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)544/25 : Polipodium: rifnesfot.
c1225 Wor.Bod.Gloss.(Hat 76)20 : Ræfnesleac satyrion: refneslec.
c1225 Wor.Bod.Gloss.(Hat 76)20 : Ræfnesfot, chamedafne: refnesfot.
a1300 Hrl.978 Vocab.(Hrl 978)556/3 : Pollipodium, i. poliol, i. reuenfot.
?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)197a/a : Pes corui, apium moraidarum: rauenys fote, hote and drye.