ravish

[ rav-ish ]
See synonyms for ravish on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to fill with strong emotion, especially joy.

  2. to seize and carry off by force.

  1. to carry off (a woman) by force.

  2. to rape (a woman).

Origin of ravish

1
1250–1300; Middle English ravishen<Middle French raviss-, long stem of ravir to seize ≪ Latin rapere;see rape1

Other words for ravish

Other words from ravish

  • rav·ished·ly, adverb
  • rav·ish·er, noun
  • un·rav·ished, adjective

Words that may be confused with ravish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ravish in a sentence

  • The huntress of Grey Worms induces a temporary torpor of the mandibles; the ravisher of Bees makes them eject their honey.

    More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri Fabre
  • To whose custody behoves it thee to give thy child—her husband's, or the ravisher's?

  • There were many who recalled seeing this one and that one, remembered speaking to him, remembered hearing him curse the ravisher.

    West Wind Drift | George Barr McCutcheon
  • At the same time, a voice cried from the other side that she must give it back to the ravisher.

    A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
  • They seemed to have arranged the order of combat with one another before they attacked the would-be ravisher of their home.

    The Dawn of Reason | James Weir

British Dictionary definitions for ravish

ravish

/ (ˈrævɪʃ) /


verb(tr)
  1. (often passive) to give great delight to; enrapture

  2. to rape

  1. archaic to carry off by force

Origin of ravish

1
C13: from Old French ravir, from Latin rapere to seize

Derived forms of ravish

  • ravisher, noun
  • ravishment, noun

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