ravish

[rav-ish]

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verb (used with object)

to fill with strong emotion, especially joy.
to seize and carry off by force.
to carry off (a woman) by force.

to rape (a woman).

Origin of ravish

1250–1300; Middle English ravishen < Middle French raviss-, long stem of ravir to seize ≪ Latin rapere; see rape¹

Related formsrav·ished·ly, adverbrav·ish·er, nounun·rav·ished, adjective

Can be confusedravage ravish

Synonyms for ravish

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1. enrapture, transport, enthrall, delight, captivate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ravish

spellbind, bewitch, enthrall, draw, allure, fascinate, mesmerize, trance, captivate, please, entrance, delight, hypnotize, overjoy, charm, enrapture, hold, attract, magnetize, transport

Examples from the Web for ravish

Contemporary Examples of ravish

Next they wanted to know if Hill had told "the black men to ravish all the white women."
Enough With This 'Lost Cause' Nonsense
Justin Green
February 19, 2013

Historical Examples of ravish

It was, indeed, filled with all that might dazzle and ravish the sight.
Traditions of the North American Indians, Vol. 3 (of 3)
James Athearn Jones
What war could ravish, commerce could bestow, And he returned a friend, who came a foe.
Essay on Man
Alexander Pope
I will engage them conversationally and ravish them with erect and quivering adjectives.
Fantazius Mallare
Ben Hecht
The danger that England or France might ravish it away from us came to the fore.
The War With Mexico, Volume II (of 2)
Justin H. Smith
The law of rape, until 1849, used these words: "If any man do ravish a woman," &c.
A Defence of Virginia
Robert L. Dabney

British Dictionary definitions for ravish

ravish

verb (tr)

(often passive) to give great delight to; enrapture
to rape
archaic to carry off by force

Derived Formsravisher, nounravishment, noun

Word Origin for ravish

C13: from Old French ravir, from Latin rapere to seize

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 ravish

c.1300, "to seize (someone) by violence, carry (a person, especially a woman) away," from Old French raviss-, present participle stem of ravir "to seize, take away hastily," from Vulgar Latin *rapire, from Latin rapere "to seize and carry off, carry away suddenly, hurry away" (see rapid). Meaning "to commit rape upon" is recorded from mid-15c. Related: Ravished; ravishing.