reif

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See also: Reif

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English ref, reaf, reif, from Old English rēaf (“plunder, spoil, booty, raiment, garment, robe, vestment, armor”), from Proto-West Germanic *raub, from Proto-Germanic *raubą, *raubaz (“rape, robbery”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- (“to rip, tear”).

Cognate with Scots reif, rief (“robbery, depredation, spoliation”), Saterland Frisian roowje (“loot, rob”), Dutch roof (“spoil, booty, robbery”), German Raub (“robbery, spoils, plunder”). See also reave, robe.

Noun

reif (uncountable)

  1. (Scotland, obsolete) Robbery.
    • c. 1524, a letter, recorded in The History of Scotland (John Hill Burton, 1873), volume 3, page 109:
      The opposition, which, as we shall see, was headed by Archbishop Beaton, protested against the "daily slaughters, murders, reifs, thefts, depredations, and heavy attemptates, that are daily and hourly committed within this realm in fault of justice."
    • c. 1577-1587, Raphael Holinshed, Chronicles:
      […] meaning to live by reif of other mennes goodes, wherein they have no manner of propertie.
    • 1814, Walter Scott, Waverley:
      […] the lawless thieves, limmers, and broken men of the Highlands, had been in fellowship together by reason of their surnames for the committing of divers thefts, reifs, and herships.
    • 1898, Robert Borland, Border Raids and Reivers, page 42:
      In the year 1567, in the first Parliament of James VI., an important Act was passed, entitled "Anent Theft and Receipt of Theft, Taking of Prisoners by Thieves, or Bands for Ransoms, and Punishment of the same." It relates especially to the […] "other inhabitants of the remanent Shires of the Realm," bearing that it is not unknown of the continual theft, reif, and oppression committed within the bounds of the said Sheriffdoms, by […] thieves and "broken men" [who] commit daily "thefts, reifs, herschips, murders, and fire raisings" upon the peaceable subjects of the country.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:reif.

References

Anagrams

German

Etymology

From Middle High German rīfe, from Old High German rīfi, akin to Old Saxon rīpi (Modern Dutch rijp).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʁaɪ̯f/
  • Audio(file)

Adjective

reif (strong nominative masculine singular reifer, comparative reifer, superlative am reifsten)

  1. ripe
    Die Rüben sind reif zum Ernten. ― The turnips are ripe/ready to harvest.
  2. mature
    Sie ist für ihr Alter sehr reif. ― She's very mature for her age.
  3. fit
    Er ist reif fürs Irrenhaus. ― He's fit for the loony bin.

Declension

Positive forms of reif
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist reif sie ist reif es ist reif sie sind reif
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative reifer reife reifes reife
genitive reifen reifer reifen reifer
dative reifem reifer reifem reifen
accusative reifen reife reifes reife
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der reife die reife das reife die reifen
genitive des reifen der reifen des reifen der reifen
dative dem reifen der reifen dem reifen den reifen
accusative den reifen die reife das reife die reifen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein reifer eine reife ein reifes (keine) reifen
genitive eines reifen einer reifen eines reifen (keiner) reifen
dative einem reifen einer reifen einem reifen (keinen) reifen
accusative einen reifen eine reife ein reifes (keine) reifen
Comparative forms of reif
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist reifer sie ist reifer es ist reifer sie sind reifer
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative reiferer reifere reiferes reifere
genitive reiferen reiferer reiferen reiferer
dative reiferem reiferer reiferem reiferen
accusative reiferen reifere reiferes reifere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der reifere die reifere das reifere die reiferen
genitive des reiferen der reiferen des reiferen der reiferen
dative dem reiferen der reiferen dem reiferen den reiferen
accusative den reiferen die reifere das reifere die reiferen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein reiferer eine reifere ein reiferes (keine) reiferen
genitive eines reiferen einer reiferen eines reiferen (keiner) reiferen
dative einem reiferen einer reiferen einem reiferen (keinen) reiferen
accusative einen reiferen eine reifere ein reiferes (keine) reiferen
Superlative forms of reif
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am reifsten sie ist am reifsten es ist am reifsten sie sind am reifsten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative reifster reifste reifstes reifste
genitive reifsten reifster reifsten reifster
dative reifstem reifster reifstem reifsten
accusative reifsten reifste reifstes reifste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der reifste die reifste das reifste die reifsten
genitive des reifsten der reifsten des reifsten der reifsten
dative dem reifsten der reifsten dem reifsten den reifsten
accusative den reifsten die reifste das reifste die reifsten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein reifster eine reifste ein reifstes (keine) reifsten
genitive eines reifsten einer reifsten eines reifsten (keiner) reifsten
dative einem reifsten einer reifsten einem reifsten (keinen) reifsten
accusative einen reifsten eine reifste ein reifstes (keine) reifsten

Antonyms

Related terms

Further reading

Icelandic

Verb

reif

  1. first-person singular past indicative of rífa
  2. third-person singular past indicative of rífa

Luxembourgish

Verb

reif

  1. second-person singular imperative of reiwen

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English rēaf, from Proto-West Germanic *raub, from Proto-Germanic *raubaz, *raubą, *raubō. Doublet of robe.

Pronunciation

Noun

reif (plural reves)

  1. A piece of clothing or gear, especially priestly.
  2. (rare) pillaging, looting; intense destruction.
  3. (rare) loot, spoils; the fruit of success.
  4. (rare) destructiveness; the quality of being damaging.

Descendants

  • English: reif, reaf, rief
  • Scots: reif, rief, reiff, refe, ref

References

Scots

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English reif, from Old English rēaf, from Proto-West Germanic *raub, from Proto-Germanic *raubaz.

Noun

reif

  1. robbery
    • 1809, “The Sang of the Outlaw Murray”, in Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border: Historical ballads, Walter Scott, page 18:
      The man that wons yon Foreste intill,
      He lives by reif and felonie !
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
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