Middle English word reven comes from Proto-Indo-European *reup, Latin crescendum, and later Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz (Raven.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *reup | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| crescendum | Latin (lat) | |
| *ḱr̥- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *ḱorh₂- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *hrabnaz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Raven. |
| rumpere | Latin (lat) | |
| *Hrewp- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *Hréwpt | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | To break. |
| *rumpō | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | Break, burst, tear. |
| hræfn | Old English (ang) | Raven. |
| *reufaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To tear. |
| *raubą | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| rēofan | Old English (ang) | |
| *raubōną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To rob, steal, plunder. |
| rēafian | Old English (ang) | |
| reafian | Old English (ang) | To plunder. To reave. To rob. |
| raven | Middle English (enm) |