verb
ravish
To rape, in archaic or literary use.
The historical account states that invading soldiers ravished women.
Etymology
The source verb means to seize by force. The sexual-violence sense developed from that forcible taking into an older term for rape.
More examples
- The old indictment alleged that he had ravished the victim.
- The editor explained that ravish meant rape in this passage.
- The survivor’s testimony was recorded using the archaic verb ravish.
Forms
ravish · ravishes · ravished · ravishing
Similar words
- rape
- Rape is the direct modern term; ravish is archaic or literary in this sense.