ravish

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: rav=ish

CIDE DICTIONARY

ravish, v. t. [OE. ravissen, F. ravir, fr. L. rapere to snatch or tear away, to ravish. See Rapacious, Rapid, and -ish.].

•  To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force.  [1913 Webster]

  "These hairs which thou dost ravish from my chin
  Will quicken, and accuse thee."  [1913 Webster]

  "This hand shall ravish thy pretended right."  [1913 Webster]
•  To transport with joy or delight; to delight to ecstasy.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou hast ravished my heart."  [1913 Webster]
•  To have carnal knowledge of (a woman) by force, and against her consent; to rape.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To transport; entrance; enrapture; delight; violate; deflower; force.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ravish, v.tr.
1 commit rape on (a woman).
2 enrapture; fill with delight.
3 archaic a carry off (a person or thing) by force. b (of death, circumstances, etc.) take from life or from sight.

Derivative

ravisher n. ravishment n.

Etymology

ME f. OF ravir ult. f. L rapere seize

THESAURUS

ravish

abuse, adulterate, alloy, assault sexually, becharm, betray, bewitch, canker, captivate, carry away, charm, cheapen, coarsen, confound, contaminate, corrupt, debase, debauch, deceive, defile, deflorate, deflower, degenerate, degrade, delectate, delight, denature, deprave, depredate, desecrate, despoil, devalue, devirginate, distort, enchant, enrapture, enravish, enthrall, entrance, fascinate, fleece, forage, foray, force, freak out, freeboot, gut, imparadise, infect, knock dead, knock out, lead astray, loot, maraud, mislead, misuse, outrage, pervert, pillage, plunder, poison, pollute, possess sexually, prey on, prostitute, raid, ransack, rape, ravage, raven, reive, rifle, ruin, sack, seduce, send, slay, soil, spellbind, spoil, spoliate, sully, sweep, taint, take, thrill, tickle, tickle pink, titillate, trance, transport, twist, ulcerate, violate, vitiate, vulgarize, warp, wow

ROGET THESAURUS

ravish

Taking

VB take, catch, hook, nab, bag, sack, pocket, put into one's pocket, receive, accept, reap, crop, cull, pluck, gather, draw, appropriate, expropriate, impropriate, assume, possess oneself of, take possession of, commandeer, lay one's hands on, clap one's hands on, help oneself to, make free with, dip one's hands into, lay under contribution, intercept, scramble for, deprive of, take away, carry away, bear away, take off, carry off, bear off, adeem, abstract, hurry off with, run away with, abduct, steal, ravish, seize, pounce upon, spring upon, swoop to, swoop down upon, take by storm, take by assault, snatch, reave, snap up, nip up, whip up, catch up, kidnap, crimp, capture, lay violent hands on, get hold of, lay hold of, take hold of, catch hold of, lay fast hold of, take firm hold of, lay by the heels, take prisoner, fasten upon, grip, grapple, embrace, gripe, clasp, grab, clutch, collar, throttle, take by the throat, claw, clinch, clench, make sure of, catch at, jump at, make a grab at, snap at, snatch at, reach, make a long arm, stretch forth one's hand, take from, take away from, disseize, deduct, retrench, dispossess, ease one of, snatch from one's grasp, tear from, tear away from, wrench from, wrest from, wring from, extort, deprive of, bereave, disinherit, cut off with a shilling, oust, divest, levy, distrain, confiscate, sequester, sequestrate, accroach, usurp, despoil, strip, fleece, shear, displume, impoverish, eat out of house and home, drain, drain to the dregs, gut, dry, exhaust, swallow up, absorb, draw off, suck the blood of, suck like a leech, retake, resume, recover.