rave [ME] Rave originally meant to be mad, but soon developed the sense to speak wildly. It was borrowed from Middle French raver, a variant of resver which gives modern French rêver ‘to dream’, source of reverie [LME]. These probably go back to re- combined with an unrecorded post-classical Latin exvagare ‘wander, roam’ formed from classical Latin ex- and vagare ‘to wander’ (see extravagant). Rave in the sense enthusiastic recommendation or review is early 20th century and in the sense of a lively party mid 20th, although the sense of a mass gathering with electronic dance music is first recorded in 1989.