ravish Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb force (someone) to have sex against their will
    violate; dishonor; assault; dishonour; outrage; rape.
    • The woman was raped on her way home at night
  2. verb hold spellbound
    enthrall; delight; enthral; enrapture; enchant; transport.

WordNet


Rav"ish transitive verb
Etymology
OE. ravissen, F. ravir, fr. L. rapere to snatch or tear away, to ravish. See Rapacious, Rapid, and -ish.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Ravished ; present participle & verbal noun Ravishing
Definitions
  1. To seize and carry away by violence; to snatch by force.
    These hairs which thou dost ravish from my chin Will quicken, and accuse thee. Shak.
    This hand shall ravish thy pretended right. Dryden.
  2. To transport with joy or delight; to delight to ecstasy. "Ravished . . . for the joy." Chaucer.
    Thou hast ravished my heart. Cant. iv. 9.
  3. To have carnal knowledge of (a woman) by force, and against her consent; to rape. Shak. Syn. -- To transport; entrance; enrapture; delight; violate; deflour; force. sic. "deflour" is given in this dict. as the preferred sp. of "deflower"

Webster 1913