rapid
[rap-id]
- occurring within a short time; happening speedily: rapid growth.
- moving or acting with great speed; swift: a rapid worker.
- characterized by speed: rapid motion.
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- Usually rapids. a part of a river where the current runs very swiftly.
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Origin of rapid
Synonyms
See more synonyms for rapid on Thesaurus.com2. See quick.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for rapids
Contemporary Examples
Halfway down the river, as they headed toward the rapids, the security line broke, and they were headed for some rocks.
Just one more note of caution before we descend down the rapids of morality and ethics.
What will he tell his kids about what we can expect from our leaders as we navigate the rapids of world problems?
Historical Examples
There was no time to examine the rapids before we shot them.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
The rapids continued the characteristic of the river and were terrific.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
There are, however, in this distance but two rapids necessitating portages.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
At the foot of “The Rapids” the effect of the spring tides is barely perceptible.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
The first rapids in the Red River are said to be eight miles above its mouth.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
rapids
- part of a river where the current is very fast and turbulent
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rapid
- (of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quicka rapid transformation
- characterized by high speedrapid movement
- acting or moving quickly; fasta rapid worker
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See also rapids
Word Origin
C17: from Latin rapidus tearing away, from rapere to seize; see rape 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for rapids
n.
1765, from French rapides (see rapid); applied by French voyagers to rough, swift-flowing reaches in North American rivers.
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rapid
adj.
1630s, "moving quickly," from French rapide (17c.) and directly from Latin rapidus "hasty, swift, rapid; snatching; fierce, impetuous," from rapere "hurry away, carry off, seize, plunder," from PIE root *rep- "to snatch" (cf. Greek ereptomai "devour," harpazein "snatch away," Lithuanian raples "tongs"). Meaning "happening in a short time" is from 1780. Related: Rapidly; rapidness. Rapid-transit first attested 1852, in reference to street railways; rapid eye movement is from 1906.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper