ravish

[ rav-ish ]
See synonyms for: ravishravishedravishingravisher 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

Words Nearby ravish

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

How to use ravish in a sentence

  • It was a feat altogether to ravish a delighted father's heart, and no wonder that he counted John so great a comfort.

    Heart | Martin Farquhar Tupper
  • The perfect symmetry of this marvellous structure would ravish Michel Angelo.

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