bereave
VerbUS[ber-eev]/bɚˈiv/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
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burgeonverb
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Be·reave′ (bē-rēv′), transitive verb [past tense & past participle Bereaved (bē-rēvd′), Bereft (bē-rĕft′); present participle & verbal noun Bereaving.]
Origin: OE. bireven, AS. bereáfian. See Be-, and Reave.
1. To make destitute; to deprive; to strip; — with of before the person or thing taken away.
Madam, you have bereft me of all words.— William Shakespeare
Bereft of him who taught me how to sing.— Thomas Tickell
2. To take away from. obsolete
All your interest in those territories Is utterly bereft you; all is lost.— William Shakespeare
3. To take away. obsolete
Shall move you to bereave my life.— Christopher Marlowe
☞ The imp. and past pple. form bereaved is not used in reference to immaterial objects. We say bereaved or bereft by death of a relative, bereft of hope and strength.
Synonyms: To dispossess; to divest.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54