reif

See also: Reif

English

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA or enPR then please add some!

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, 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

• “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:

  (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

Related terms

• Reife

Further reading

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

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

• 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)