reif

See also: Reif

English

Alternative forms

• rief

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 (usually uncountable, plural reifs)

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 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     […] 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

• “reif”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• -fier, FIRE, Fier, Frie, fier, fire, refi, rief, rife

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 (Germany (Berlin)):

  (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

• unreif

Derived terms

• hiebreif

Related terms

• Reife

Further reading

• “reif” in Duden online
• “reif”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)
• Friedrich Kluge (1883), “reif”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Icelandic

Verb

reif

1. first/third-person singular past active indicative of rífa

Luxembourgish

Verb

reif

1. second-person singular imperative of reiwen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• reaf, ræf, ref, reve, raf, ræve, rave, reafe

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɛːf/, /rɛːv/

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

• “rēf, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 17 June 2018.
• “rēf, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 17 June 2018.

Scots

Alternative forms

• rief, reiff, refe, ref

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)