thrave means to urge; compel; importune. It carries an Arena rating of 1506, earned across 35 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, thrave ranks #1,038 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,349 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,284 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,757 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
Why “thrave” is a great word
THRAVE — [Verb] To urge, compel, or importune someone with dogged, persistent pressure. From Middle English thraven, from Old English þrafian ("to press, urge, compel, rebuke"), from Proto-West Germanic *þrabōn, from Proto-Germanic *þrabōną ("to press, drive"), from Proto-Indo-European *trep- ("to scamper, trample, tread"). Unlike "entreat," which implies a humble plea, or "coerce," which signals compulsion by force, to thrave is to apply a relentless, verbal weight—a constant, grinding insistence. It is the cold, repeated knock of conscience at the door, the unremitting buzz of a fly against a windowpane, or the creditor's tap at the same hour every Monday—a pressure that seeks not to break, but to erode, the sound of insistent footsteps that never leave your door.
Etymology
From Middle English thraven, from Old English þrafian (“to press; urge; compel; rebuke; argue; contend”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrabōn, from Proto-Germanic *þrabōną (“to press; drive”), from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to scamper; trample; quake; tread”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian 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
- To urge; compel; importune.
noun
- A sheaf; a handful.
- Twenty-four (or in some places, twelve) sheaves of wheat; a shock, or stook.e.g.“A daimen icker in a thrave / 'S a sma' request;” — 1785, Robert Burns, To a Mouse:
- Two dozen, or similar indefinite number; a bunch; a throng.e.g.“c. 16th century, Lansdowne manuscript
The worst of a thrave.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- thrutch 69% match — To push; press; shove; thrust. vs thrave →
- thring 67% match — To thrust; crowd; press; squeeze. vs thrave →
- intreat 63% match — Archaic spelling of entreat.; Senses relating to asking or pleading.; To ask earnestly or beg for (something, such as a benefit or favour); to beseech, to implore. vs thrave →
- dreve 62% match — To trouble; afflict; make anxious. vs thrave →
- implore 62% match — To beg or plead for (something) earnestly or urgently; to beseech. vs thrave →
- dreave 61% match — To drive; drive out; drive away; expel. vs thrave →
- thrall 61% match — Slave; one under the control of another. vs thrave →
- thrive 60% match — To grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously or luxuriantly; to enjoy a state of excellent health and well-being; to flourish. vs thrave →