ravish

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman, from Old French raviss-, present participle stem of ravir (“to seize, take away hastily”), from Late Latin *rapire, from Latin rapere.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɹa.vɪʃ/, SAMPA: /"r{v.IS/

Verb

ravish (third-person singular simple present ravishes, present participle ravishing, simple past and past participle ravished)

1. (obsolete or archaic) To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force.
2. (transitive, usually passive) To transport with joy or delight; to delight to ecstasy.
   • 1873, Jules Verne, chapter 9, Around the World in 80 Days^[1]:

     Passepartout was ravished to behold this celebrated place, and thought that, with its circular walls and dismantled fort, it looked like an immense coffee-cup and saucer.

3. (transitive, now rare) To rape.
   • 1759, Voltaire, chapter 8, Candide^[2]:

     A tall Bulgarian soldier, six feet high, perceiving that I had fainted away at this sight, attempted to ravish me; the operation brought me to my senses. I cried, I struggled, I bit, I scratched, I would have torn the tall Bulgarian’s eyes out, not knowing that what had happened at my father’s castle was a customary thing.

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.x:

     For loe that Guest would beare her forcibly, / And meant to ravish her, that rather had to dy.

Synonyms

• abripe
• (seize and carry away): kidnap

Derived terms

• ravishing
• ravishment

Translations

seize and carry away by violence; snatch by force

Dutch: ontvoeren (nl), schaken (nl) Finnish: kaapata (fi) French: ravir (fr)

Italian: rapire (it) Portuguese: raptar (pt) Russian: схватить (ru)

transport with joy or delight; delight to ecstasy

Dutch: in (nl) vervoering (nl) brengen (nl), vervoeren (nl)

French: ravir (fr)

rape — see rape