rapist

Etymology

It is formed from English rape + -ist,^[2][3][4] an agent noun from the verb rape in the OED and Etymonline,^[2][5] but formed on the noun in the Shorter Oxford.^[4] The verb is based both on the noun and on Anglo-Norman raper (“to seize, abduct”), a legal term, probably from Latin rapiō (“to seize, carry off by force”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who commits rape: 1869, in the Dallas Weekly Herald.^[2] Etymonline dates it to 1883,^[5] and the Shorter Oxford to the late 19th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word came late: rape had meant the abduction or sexual violation of a woman since the early 15th century, after earlier senses "booty, prey" and "forcible seizure".^[5] The OED also records a figurative use.^[2]

Timeline

• 1869 – a person who commits rape.^[2]
• 1883 – Etymonline's first date.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who commits rape.^[3][2][4]

Related words

• rape
• rapine
• rapid
• ravish

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com