rapine

English

WOTD – 17 September 2012    

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹæpaɪn/

• Audio (US)

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Etymology

From Middle English and Old French, from Latin rapīna, from rapiō.

Noun

rapine (uncountable)

1. The seizure of someone's property by force; plunder.
   • 1951, Isaac Asimov, Foundation (1974 Panther Books Ltd publication), part V: “The Merchant Princes”, chapter 10, pages 157–158

     “You could join Wiscard’s remnants in the Red Stars. I don’t know, though, if you’d call that fighting or piracy. Or you could join our present gracious viceroy — gracious by right of murder, pillage, rapine, and the word of a boy Emperor, since rightfully assassinated.”

Related terms

• rape

Translations

seizure of someone's property by force

• Dutch: roof (nl) m
• French: rapine (fr) f

• German: Raub (de) m
• Spanish: saqueo (es) m, rapiña (es) f

References

• The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000).

Verb

rapine (third-person singular simple present rapines, present participle rapining, simple past and past participle rapined)

1. To plunder.
   • Sir G. Buck, Hist. Richard III:

     A Tyrant doth not only rapine his Subjects, but spoils and robs Churches.

Translations

plunder

• Dutch: plunderen (nl)

Anagrams

• Napier

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Italian

Noun

rapine f

1. Plural form of rapina

Anagrams

• aprine