ravish

verb

rav·​ish ˈra-vish How to pronounce ravish (audio)
ravished; ravishing; ravishes

transitive verb

1
a
: to seize and take away by violence
b
: to overcome with emotion (such as joy or delight)
ravished by the scenic beauty
2
ravisher noun
ravishment noun

Examples of ravish in a Sentence

invaders guilty of murdering and ravishing villagers travelers have long been ravished with wonder and awe by the immensity of the Great Pyramid at Giza
Recent Examples on the Web Tentativeness, intimacy, a fragile sense of himself as a musician—all were preserved on Songs of Leonard Cohen, a hushed and ravishing affair that is considered one of the finest debuts in pop history. Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024 Horny and harrowing in equal measure, Zemeckis’ film is enchanting, ravishing, and occasionally puzzling. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024 Boasting more than 600 wild, medicinal and aromatic plant species, the island is clothed in a ravishing violet coat of lavender. James Rampton, theweek, 29 Aug. 2024 But at its best, Hilma shares qualities with other experimental musical theater performances like Heather Christian’s ravishing Oratorio for Living Things, which debuted in 2022 and sought out the connective tissue between the quantum, human, and cosmic. Rhoda Feng, ARTnews.com, 9 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ravish 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ravish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ravisshen "to seize forcefully, plunder, carry away, carry off (a woman) in order to sexually assault her, seize as prey, carry up (into heaven), enrapture, sweep along," borrowed from Anglo-French raviss-, stem of ravir (also continental Old & Middle French), going back to Vulgar Latin *rapīre, re-formation of Latin rapere "to seize and carry off, take away by force, carry off a woman with the intent of sexually assaulting her, carry or sweep along, impel forcibly (to a course of conduct), snatch up, gather quickly" — more at rapid entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ravish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ravish

Cite this Entry

“Ravish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ravish. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

ravish

verb
rav·​ish ˈrav-ish How to pronounce ravish (audio)
1
: to seize and take away by violence
2
3
: to overcome with a feeling and especially a feeling of joy or delight
ravisher noun

Legal Definition

ravish

transitive verb
rav·​ish ˈra-vish How to pronounce ravish (audio)
: rape
ravishment noun
Etymology

Middle English, to seize and take away by violence, from Middle French raviss-, stem of ravir, ultimately from Latin rapere to seize, rob

More from Merriam-Webster on ravish

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