Bereave Definition
bĭ-rēv
bereaved, bereaves, bereaving, bereft
verb
To take a loved one from (a person), especially by death.
American Heritage
To deprive or rob; dispossess.
She was bereft of hope or happiness.
Webster's New World
To take something valuable or necessary from (a person or thing).
American Heritage
To leave in a sad or lonely state, as by loss or death.
Webster's New World
To take away by force.
Webster's New World
Origin of Bereave
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From Middle English bereven, from Old English berēafian (“to bereave, deprive of, take away, seize, rob, despoil”) and Old English berēofan (“to bereave, deprive, rob of”); both equivalent to be- + reave. Cognate with Dutch beroven (“to rob, deprive, bereave”), German berauben (“to deprive, rob, bereave”), Danish berove (“to deprive of”), Norwegian berove (“to deprive”), Swedish beröva (“to rob”).
From Wiktionary
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Middle English bireven to deprive from Old English berēafian reup- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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