bereave
Meaning
to deprive of a loved one through that person's death
(archaic) to deprive or rob of something, especially something valuable
Structure
Usage
the accident bereaved her of her only son.
he was bereaved of his inheritance by a legal technicality.
the war bereaved an entire generation of its fathers.
Etymology
the word "bereave" originates from old english berēafian, meaning "to rob, plunder, or dispossess." this is formed from the intensive prefix be- combined with the verb rēafian, "to rob." the root rēafian is related to old high german roubōn and ultimately derives from the proto-germanic raubōną, "to rob," and the proto-indo-european root reup-, "to snatch or break." the original, more general sense of "to rob or deprive of anything" narrowed over time, particularly from the 16th century onward, to its dominant modern meaning focused specifically on the loss of a loved one through death. this semantic specialization reflects the profound and total nature of such a deprivation, aligning with the intensive force of the prefix.
Analysis
be- (old english, prefix): a prefix with a completive or intensive force, meaning "thoroughly" or "around". reave (old english, root verb): to rob, plunder, or take away by force.