Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
rapt - 11 dictionary results

rapt

[rapt]
–adjective
1. deeply engrossed or absorbed: a rapt listener.
2. transported with emotion; enraptured: rapt with joy.
3. showing or proceeding from rapture: a rapt smile.
4. carried off spiritually to another place, sphere of existence, etc.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME (ptp. of rapen to carry off, abduct, rape) < L raptus seized, carried off (ptp. of rapere), equiv. to rap- (see rape 1 ) + -tus ptp. suffix


raptly, adverb
raptness, noun


2. ecstatic, spellbound, bewitched.

rap

1[rap] verb, rapped, rap⋅ping, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to strike, esp. with a quick, smart, or light blow: He rapped the door with his cane.
2. to utter sharply or vigorously: to rap out a command.
3. (of a spirit summoned by a medium) to communicate (a message) by raps (often fol. by out).
4. Slang. to criticize sharply: Critics could hardly wait to rap the play.
5. Slang. to arrest, detain, or sentence for a crime.
6. Metallurgy. to jar (a pattern) loose from a sand mold.
–verb (used without object)
7. to knock smartly or lightly, esp. so as to make a noise: to rap on a door.
8. Slang. to talk or discuss, esp. freely, openly, or volubly; chat.
9. Slang. to talk rhythmically to the beat of rap music.
–noun
10. a quick, smart, or light blow: a rap on the knuckles with a ruler.
11. the sound produced by such a blow: They heard a loud rap at the door.
12. Slang. blame or punishment, esp. for a crime.
13. Slang. a criminal charge: a murder rap.
14. Slang. response, reception, or judgment: The product has been getting a very bad rap.
15. Slang.
a. a talk, conversation, or discussion; chat.
b. talk designed to impress, convince, etc.; spiel: a high-pressure sales rap.
16. rap music.
17. beat the rap, Slang. to succeed in evading the penalty for a crime; be acquitted: The defendant calmly insisted that he would beat the rap.
18. take the rap, Slang. to take the blame and punishment for a crime committed by another: He took the rap for the burglary.

Origin:
1300–50; 1960–65 for def. 8; ME rappen (v.), rap(p)e (n.); akin to Sw rappa to beat, drub, G rappeln to rattle; senses “to talk,” “conversation, talk” perh. of distinct orig., though the hypothesis that it is a shortening of repartee is questionable

rap

3[rap]
–verb (used with object), rapped or rapt, rap⋅ping. Archaic.
1. to carry off; transport.
2. to transport with rapture.
3. to seize for oneself; snatch.

Origin:
1520–30; back formation from rapt
rap 2   (rāp)   
tr.v.   rapt or rapped (rāpt), rap·ping, raps Archaic
  1. past participle rapt To enchant or seize with rapture.
  2. To snatch.

[Back-formation from rapt.]
rapt   (rāpt)   
v.  Past participle of rap2.
adj.  
  1. Deeply moved or delighted; enraptured: listened to the speaker with rapt admiration.
  2. Deeply absorbed; engrossed: was rapt in thought all evening.

[Middle English, carried away, from Latin raptus, past participle of rapere, to seize; see rep- in Indo-European roots.]
rapt·ly adv.
Word History: One might be surprised to learn that rapt, a word used in describing states of deep delight or absorption, has a relative with an entirely different emotive force—rape. Now most often used to mean "to force someone to submit to sexual acts," rape once had a much broader application, as it meant "to seize, carry off." In fact, it was often used in positive and nonviolent contexts. From the Middle English period, we have examples of its being used to mean "to carry off to heaven from earth," as in "the visions of seynt poul wan [when] he was rapt in to paradys." As this quotation shows, rapt started out as the past participle of rape. As time went on, rapt became restricted to mental or emotional states, while rape developed a new past participle, raped, and became limited to criminal or violent acts.

Rapt

Rapt\ (r[a^]pt), imp. & p. p. of Rap, to snatch away.

Rapt

Rapt\, a. 1. Snatched away; hurried away or along.

Waters rapt with whirling away. --Spenser.

2. Transported with love, admiration, delight, etc.; enraptured. "The rapt musician." --Longfellow.

3. Wholly absorbed or engrossed, as in work or meditation. "Rapt in secret studies." --Shak.

Rapt

Rapt\, n. [From F. rapt abduction, rape, L. raptus, fr. rapere to seize and carry off, to transport; or fr. E. rapt, a. See Rapt, a., and Rapid.]

1. An ecstasy; a trance. [Obs.] --Bp. Morton.

2. Rapidity. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.

Rapt

Rapt\, v. i. 1. To transport or ravish. [Obs.] --Drayton.

2. To carry away by force. [Obs.] --Daniel.
Language Translation for : rapt
Spanish: absorto, embelesado,
German: entzückt,
Japanese: うっとりとした

rapt 
c.1400, "carried away" (in an ecstatic trance), from L. raptus, pp. of rapere "seize, carry off" (see rapid). Sense of "engrossed" first recorded 1509. As a pp. adj. in Eng., the back-formed verb rap "to affect with rapture" was common c.1600-1750. The fig. sense is from the notion of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)," as in a saint's vision.

RAPT
["An Interpreter for a Language for Describing Assemblies", R.J. Popplestone et al, Artif Intell 14:79-107 (1980)].
(1995-05-10)

Search another word or see rapt on Thesaurus | Reference