Etymologically
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rapist

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 02:01. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈɹeɪ.pɪst/[1]

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]

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