Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - raven

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hr?fn; akin to Old High German hraban ~, Latin corvus, Greek korax  Date: before 12th century a large glossy black corvine bird (Corvus corax) of Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and America  II. adjective  Date: 1588 shiny and black like a ~'s feathers ~ hair  III. verb  (~ed; ~ing)  Etymology: Middle French raviner to rush, take by force, from ravine rapine  Date: 1530  intransitive verb  1. to feed greedily  2. to prowl for food ; prey  3. plunder  transitive verb  1. to devour greedily  2. despoil men…~ the earth, destroying its resources — New Yorker  • ~er noun