ravish

ravish
   to copulate with a woman against her will
   Originally, to seize or carry off anything:
    The ravish'd Helen, Menelaus' wife,
   With wanton Paris sleeps. (Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida)
   and in more modern use:
    I don't know why, but that ravishing of Lily made her dear to me. (F. Harris, 1925)
   The dated female expression of delight How ravishing! came from the meaning 'ecstatic' rather than from any Freudian fantasies.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • Ravish — Rav ish (r[a^]v [i^]sh), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ravished} ( [i^]sht); p. pr. & vb. n. {Ravishing}.] [OE. ravissen, F. ravir, fr. L. rapere to snatch or tear away, to ravish. See {Rapacious}, {Rapid}, and { ish}.] 1. To seize and carry away by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ravish — rav·ish / ra vish/ vt [Middle English, to seize and take away by violence, from Middle French raviss , stem of ravir, ultimately from Latin rapere to seize, rob]: rape rav·ish·ment n Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • ravish — [v1] enchant allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, delight, draw, enrapture, enthrall, entrance, fascinate, hold, hypnotize, magnetize, mesmerize, overjoy, please, spellbind, trance, transport; concept 11 Ant. disenchant, repulse, turn off… …   New thesaurus

  • ravish — (v.) c.1300, to seize (someone) by violence, carry (a person, especially a woman) away, from O.Fr. raviss , prp. stem of ravir to seize, take away hastily, from V.L. *rapire, from L. rapere to seize, hurry away (see RAPID (Cf. rapid)). Meaning to …   Etymology dictionary

  • ravish — *transport, enrapture, entrance Analogous words: rejoice, delight, regale (see PLEASE) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • ravish — ► VERB archaic or literary 1) seize and carry off by force. 2) rape. 3) fill with intense delight; enrapture. ORIGIN Old French ravir, from Latin rapere seize …   English terms dictionary

  • ravish — [rav′ish] vt. [ME ravishen < inflectional stem of OFr ravir, to carry away < VL * rapire, for L rapere, to seize: see RAPE1] 1. to seize and carry away forcibly 2. to rape (a woman) 3. to transport with joy or delight; enrapture ravisher n …   English World dictionary

  • ravish — UK [ˈrævɪʃ] / US verb [transitive] Word forms ravish : present tense I/you/we/they ravish he/she/it ravishes present participle ravishing past tense ravished past participle ravished mainly literary to rape a woman (= force her to have sex) …   English dictionary

  • ravish — verb /ˈɹa.vɪʃ/ a) To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force. For loe that Guest would beare her forcibly, / And meant to ravish her, that rather had to dy. b) To transport with joy or delight; to delight to ec …   Wiktionary

  • ravish — verb 1) literary he tried to ravish her Syn: rape, sexually assault/abuse, violate, force oneself on, molest; archaic dishonor, defile 2) literary you will be ravished by this wine Syn: enrapture, enchant, delight …   Thesaurus of popular words

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