BERE'AVE, verb transitive preterit tense bereaved, bereft: participle passive bereaved, bereft. 1. To deprive; to strip; to make destitute; with of before the thing taken away. Me have ye bereaved of my children. Genesis 42:36. It is sometimes used without of, and is particularly applied to express the loss of friends by death. 2. To take away from.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI