Bereaven

/bɪˈriːvən/ adjective

Definition

Archaic past participle form meaning bereaved or deprived, used in older English texts to describe someone suffering loss.

Etymology

From 'bereave' + '-en,' an archaic past participle ending (like 'eaten' or 'beaten'). This shows old English past participles that we no longer use.

Kelly Says

English used to have tons of past participle forms ending in '-en'—beaten, written, frozen—but we've lost most of them and just use '-ed' now, making modern English much simpler!

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