rapacity

[ ruh-pas-i-tee ]
See synonyms for rapacity on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the quality of being rapacious, or given to seizing things for plunder: That the monastery was raided six times, and burned 26 times in between, shows the rapacity of the Vikings.

  2. extreme greediness; predatory quality or character: People blamed the higher prices on the rapacity of businesses.

  1. (of animals) the fact or characteristic of subsisting by the capture of living prey: The early settlers of America suffered from the severity of the climate and the rapacity of wolves.

Origin of rapacity

1
First recorded in 1490–1500, from Latin rapācitās, equivalent to rapāci- (stem of rapāx “greedy”; see rapacious ) + -tās -ty2
  • Also ra·pa·cious·ness [ruh-pey-shuhs-nis] /rəˈpeɪ ʃəs nɪs/ .

Other words from rapacity

  • un·ra·pa·cious·ness, noun

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