raaf

Meaning

1. (feminine, masculine) raven (Corvus corax)
2. (feminine, masculine) A raven, term used for certain other large birds of the genus Corvus.
3. (Suriname, feminine, masculine) synonym of ara (“macaw”)

Concepts

raven

crow

common raven

rook

Common Raven

Northern Raven

Synonyms

kraai

Translations

Rabe

corvo

cuervo

corbeau

corb

corvo

còrb

corvus

Kolkrabe

κοράκι

kuzgun

κόρακας

grand corbeau

corvo imperiale

Pronounced as (IPA)

/raːf/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Dutch: rāve

Inherited from Old Dutch: ravan

In summary

From Middle Dutch rāve, formed by rebracketing from the older singular form rāven which was reinterpreted as a plural; the singular raven (plural ravens or ravenen) persisted in some dialects until at least the eighteenth century, well beyond the Middle Dutch period. The Middle Dutch furthermore descends from Old Dutch ravan, from Proto-West Germanic *hrabn, from Proto-Germanic *hrabnaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂-.