rapio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈra.pi.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈraː.pi.o]^[1]

Forms

rapiō (present infinitive rapere, perfect active rapuī, supine raptum); third (-iō variant) conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *rap-i- (“to seize”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rp-i- (“to seize”).^[2] De Vaan takes it from the zero grade *h₁rp- of a root *h₁rep-, which gave *erp- and then a new zero grade *rap- beside a full grade *rep-.^[2] Schrijver instead posits a separate root *h₁rh₁p-, with the same meaning.^[2] Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐρέπτομαι (eréptomai, “to devour, snatch away”), Albanian rjep (“to strip, rob”) and Lithuanian aprė́pti (“to take, catch”).^[2][3] Older dictionaries compared Ancient Greek ἁρπάζω (harpázō).^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds it first in Naevius, with an older s-future in Plautus.^[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Its basic sense was to seize and carry off by force.^[3] From this it meant to take property as plunder (in law it distinguished robbery from theft), to sack a place, to carry off and ravish a woman, and, of death or disease, to carry a person off.^[3] It also meant to seize something by constraint and to hurry a person along, and with a reflexive pronoun to rush off.^[3][1]

The derivatives rapidus, rapāx and rapīna keep the idea of violent speed and greed.^[2] The verb survives in Italian rapire and French ravir, the source of English ravish; English rape came through Anglo-French raper, a legal term probably from Latin rapere.^[1][7]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses the verb.^[2][6]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus has the old s-future surrepsit.^[2][6]
• c. 1300 – English ravishen “to seize by violence” is recorded, from Old French ravir.^[7]
• late 14th century – English rapen “to seize prey, abduct” is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To seize and carry off, snatch away.^[3]
2. To take by force as plunder, (law) to rob.^[3]
3. To sack (a place).^[3]
4. To carry off and violate, ravish.^[3]
5. (of death or disease) To carry off.^[3]
6. To seize by constraint, get hold of.^[3]
7. To drag or hurry along, (reflexive) to rush off.^[3][1]

Word family

• abripiō
• arripiō
• corripiō
• dīripiō
• ēripiō
• praeripiō
• prōripiō
• rapīna
• rapāx
• rapidus
• rapō
• raptim

Related words

• repēns
• ūtor
• English rapid
• English rapacious
• English rapture
• English ravish

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com