Bereft
/bəˈrɛft/noun
Deprived of something, especially through loss or absence.
Did you know?Bereft is the past participle of bereave, and both go back to an Old English verb meaning to rob or plunder, so the word’s emotional weight comes from ancient language of taking, not just grieving.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bi-raubōjaną
“to rob, plunder, deprive”
Old English
OE
berēafian
“to deprive, strip of, rob”
Middle English
ME
bereven
“to deprive of, take away”
14th Century
English
bereft
“deprived, stripped of”
Modern English
English
bereft
“deprived of something, especially through loss”