different between thrave vs theave

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English thraven, from Old English þrafian (“to press; urge; compel; rebuke; argue; contend”), from Proto-Germanic *þrab?n? (“to press; drive”), from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to scamper; trample; quake; tread”). Cognate with Sirionó troawje, droawje (“to trot”), West Frisian drave (“to trot”), Dutch draven (“to lope; trot”), German traben (“to trot”), Swedish trava (“to trot”), Icelandic þrefa (“to wrangle; dispute”).

Verb

thrave (third-person singular simple present thraves, present participle thraving, simple past and past participle thraved)

1. (transitive, Britain, dialectal) To urge; compel; importune.

Related terms

• thraft

Etymology 2

From Middle English thrave, threve, thrafe, from Old Norse þrefi (“a bunch or handful of sheaves”), related to Old Norse þrifa (“to grasp”). Cognate with Swedish trave, Danish trave.

Alternative forms

• threave (obsolete), threve (obsolete)

Noun

thrave (plural thraves)

1. (Britain, dialect) A sheaf; a handful.
2. (Britain, dialect, obsolete) Twenty-four (or in some places, twelve) sheaves of wheat; a shock, or stook.
3. (Britain, dialect, obsolete) Two dozen, or similar indefinite number; a bunch; a throng.
   • c. 16th century, Lansdowne MS

     The worst of a thrave.

   • c. 1600, Joseph Hall, Satires

     He sends forth thraves of ballads to the sale.

Anagrams

• raveth

English

Alternative forms

• thave

Etymology

Compare Welsh dafad (“a sheep, ewe”).

Noun

theave (plural theaves)

1. (Britain, dialect) A ewe lamb of the first year.
2. (Britain, dialect) A sheep three years old.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)