reaving
Stealing by force
Reaving is the present participle of reave, an archaic verb meaning to plunder, rob, or carry off by force.
The word survives mainly in historical contexts describing raiders and pillagers: Viking bands went reaving along the coast.
Scottish border reivers were cattle thieves whose raids gave us the related noun.
Outside historical fiction, the word is rare.
Extreme, violent cruelty
- brutalitySavage, merciless behavior
- bloodshedKilling and wounding
- ferocityExtreme violent intensity
- ruthlessnessLack of compassion or mercy
aggression · rampage · fury · rapine · slaughter · massacre · havoc · mayhem
Swift raid or attempt
- incursionHostile territorial penetration
- sortieArmed raid outward
- assaultViolent offensive act
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
skirmish · invasion · border raid · cattle raid · guerrilla · marauding · sally · attack
Stolen valuables, especially treasure
- spoilsSeized war gains
- lootStolen valuables
- pillageViolent theft of goods
- haulPull or carry laboriously
treasure · swag · prize · takings · bounty · riches · sack · despoil
Severe widespread destruction
- ruinationState of complete destruction
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- razingComplete structural demolition
- laying wasteDestroying an area completely
ravaging · sacking · burning · pillaging · annihilation · obliteration · wreckage · carnage
savagery
Extreme, violent cruelty
ruthlessness · aggression · rampage · fury · rapine · slaughter · massacre · havoc · mayhem · berserker
foray
Swift raid or attempt
ambush · skirmish · invasion · border raid · cattle raid · guerrilla · marauding · sally · attack · conquest
booty
Stolen valuables, especially treasure
haul · treasure · swag · prize · takings · bounty · riches · sack · despoil · ransack
devastation
Severe widespread destruction
- ruinationState of complete destruction
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- razingComplete structural demolition
laying waste · ravaging · sacking · burning · pillaging · annihilation · obliteration · wreckage · carnage · decimation
buccaneer
Caribbean colonial-era pirate
sea rover · Viking · longship · galleon · schooner · Jolly Roger · cutlass · boarding · plundering · coastal raid
reavinggiving
Transferring to another
donating · bestowing · trading · bartering · purchasing
reavingprotecting
Keeping from harm
guarding · defending · sheltering · preserving · nurturing