bireven

Middle English

Alternative forms

• biræivie, birævien, be-reve, bereve, byreeve, be-refe

Etymology

From Old English berēafian, from Proto-Germanic *biraubōną; equivalent to bi- +‎ reven.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biˈrɛːvən/, /bɛˈrɛːvən/

Verb

bireven

1. To cause someone to lose something:
   1. To steal, or rob; to secretly loot.
   2. To grab, grasp, or confiscate with force.
   3. To cause someone to loose an abstract concept or idea.
2. To kill; to murder or end the life of.

Conjugation

Conjugation of bireven (weak in -ed/-te)

infinitive	(to) bireven, bireve
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	bireve	bireved, birefte
2nd-person singular	birevest	birevedest, bireftest
3rd-person singular	bireveth	bireved, birefte
subjunctive singular	bireve
imperative singular		—
plural1	bireven, bireve	bireveden, birevede, bireften, birefte
imperative plural	bireveth, bireve	—
participles	birevynge, birevende	bireved, bireft

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: bereave
• Scots: bereve, bereif

References

• “birēven, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-17.