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Reeve vs Reave - What's the difference?

reeve | reave |

As verbs the difference between reeve and reave

is that reeve is to pass a rope through a hole or opening, especially so as to fasten it while reave is to plunder, pillage, rob, pirate, or remove.

As a noun reeve

is any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.

As a proper noun Reeve

is {{surname}.

reeve

English

Etymology 1

Old English r?fa , an aphetism of ?er?fa.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (historical) Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
  • :* {{quote-book
    • , year=1999 , year_published= , edition= , editor=Judith McClure, Roger Collins , author=Bede , title=The Ecclesiastical History of the English People , chapter= citation , genre= , publisher=Oxford University Press , isbn=9780192838667 , page=99 , passage=His first convert was the reeve of the city of Lincoln call Blæcca, ... }}
  • (Canada) The president of a township or municipal district council.
  • (military, historical) A (l) but (l) commissioned (l) of the equivalent to (l).
  • * 1936 , The Periodical (), volumes 21–22, page 67
    • A list of new titles was manufactured as follows: Ensign'', ''Lieutenant'', ''Flight-Leader'', ''Squadron-Leader'', ''Reeve''''', ''Banneret'', ''Fourth-Ardian'', ''Third-Ardian'', ''Second-Ardian'', ''Ardian'', ''Air Marshal''. […] “' Reeve ”, perhaps, savoured a little too much of legal authority.

    Etymology 2

    Apparent alternate form of reef

    Verb

    (reev)
  • (nautical, dialect) To pass a rope through a hole or opening, especially so as to fasten it.
  • * 1930 , William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying , Library of America, 1985, p.98:
    • "Let the rope go," he says. With his other hand he reaches down and reeves the two turns from the stanchion.

    Etymology 3

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A female of the species Philomachus pugnax , a highly gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; the male is a ruff.

    • reave

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) reven, from (etyl) 'to roughen', Sanskrit (term) 'to make suffer'). See (m) and (m).

    Alternative forms

    * reive

    Verb

  • (archaic) To plunder, pillage, rob, pirate, or remove.
  • *
  • * 1997 , Lawrence R. Schehr, Rendering French Realism (ISBN 0804780161), page 18:
    • And I for one am not convinced of the innocence of the model: it is as if we let a criminal make up the law as he or she ambles along, reaving right and left.
    Derived terms
    * border reivers
    Related terms
    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 2

    Alteration of rive by confusion with the above.

    Verb

  • (archaic) To split, tear, break apart.
    • Related terms
    * (l)