Rave Meant Delirium Long Before It Meant a Party
To rave is to speak wildly, or to praise enthusiastically. The all-night party sense is recent.
To rave is to talk wildly or incoherently, and also to praise something enthusiastically; a *rave* is a large dance event. The medical sense came first: from the 1300s, raving described the delirium of fever or madness. The enthusiastic sense arrived in the 1700s, giving *rave reviews*. The party sense is British and dates only from the late 1980s and the acid house scene, though *rave* for a lively party appears in the 1960s. The root is Old French *raver*, to wander or be delirious.
- To speak wildly. *Raving with fever.*
- To praise. *Raving about the film.*
- A dance event. *An all-night rave.*
- Rave reviews. *Rave reviews.*
- Old French — *raver*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | rave | Raving. |
| Noun | rave | A rave. |
| Past | raved | Raved. |
| Adjective | raving | Raving mad. |
| Old French | raver | To be delirious. |
- He was raving with fever.Delirium.
- Critics raved about it.Praise.
- They went to a rave.Party.
How the senses arrived
- 1300s — to be delirious or mad
- 1700s — to speak with extravagant enthusiasm
- 1960s — a lively party, British slang
- Late 1980s — an all-night electronic dance event
- Each sense grew from the idea of being carried away
Old French *raver*, to wander or be delirious, of uncertain earlier origin.
Which sense of rave is oldest?
Delirium. Raving described the wandering speech of fever or madness from the 1300s.
How old is rave meaning a party?
The lively-party sense appears in 1960s British slang; the all-night dance event sense dates from the late 1980s.