▪ I. † ˈravish, n. Obs. rare.
[f. ravish v.]
An act of ravishing; ravishment, rapture.
| c 1620 M. Lok in Hakluyt Voy. (1812) V. 408 After diuers complaints of those rauishes,..the Women brought from thence were apparelled [etc.]. a 1649 Winthrop New Eng. (1853) I. 219 [They] had builded their comfort of salvation upon unsound grounds, viz., some upon dreams and ravishes of spirits by fits. |
▪ II. ravish, v.
(ˈrævɪʃ)
Forms: α. 4–5 rav-, rauissch(e, -isch (also 6 Sc.), -ysch(e, -isshe, -esche, -es(s)he, -ych, (5 -ich), 4–6 rauysh(e, -yssch(e, (6 -yszsh), 4–7 -ishe, 5–6 ravissh, 4– ravish; 4 rewych, 5 revyssh. β. (Chiefly north. and Sc.) 4 raiuis-, rauice, ravese, 4–5 (6 Sc.) rauis, rauys; Sc. 5 rawis-, raves-, 6–7 ravis; 5 rewis, -ys, 6 reuis(s, reuys, reueis-, rewese, 6–7 revis.
[a. F. raviss-, lengthened stem of ravir to seize, take away:—pop. L. *rapīre, class. L. rapĕre. Cf. ravin1.]
1. a. trans. To seize and carry off (a person); to take by violence, to tear or drag away from (a place or person). Now somewhat rare. † Also, to sweep or carry away; to drag off (to or into a place). Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7680 His reners [saul] þeder send For to rauis dauid he wend. a 1340 Hampole Psalter lxii. 8, I am thi bridde & if þou hill me not þe glede will ravishe me. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 174 The course of the ryuer so stronge and so styfe rane, that the knyght and his hors rauyshith, doune hym bare, and dreynte. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. i. 69 [They] by outragious force rauish these most deare infants..from..their fathers and mothers. 1603 B. Jonson Sejanus v. x, Now inhumanely ravish him to Prison! 1624 Quarles Sion's Elegies iv. 20 Heaven's Anoynted, Their hands have crusht, and ravisht from his Throne. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. i. v. §20 The British are not so over-fond of St. Patrick, as to ravish him into their Country against his will, and the consent of Time. 1854 Sumner Speech in Wks. 1895 III. 291 For the mother there is no assurance that her infant child will not be ravished from her breast. |
| fig. 1513 Douglas æneis viii. i. 49 In mynd..Nou heyr, nou there, revist in syndry partis. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 464 b, Many men rauished & toste hither and thither with euery wynde of doctrine. |
† b. In pass.: To be carried away from a belief, state, etc. Obs.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. xi. 297 Arn none rathere yrauisshid fro the riȝt beleue Thanne arn thise grete clerkis. a 1400–50 Alexander 4424 Þus fra þe rote of riȝtwisnes rauyst ere ȝe clene. c 1425 Found. St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 45 In his slepe he was raueshid from his resonable wyttys. 1758 H. Walpole Catal. Roy. Authors (1759) I. 157 Ravished from all improvement and reflection at the age of seventeen. |
† c. To draw forcibly to (or into) some condition, action, etc. Obs.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De. P.R. ii. iv. (1495) b ij b/2 Aungels ben..rauysshed to the Innest contemplacion of the loue of god. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 329 That whyle we know god vysybly, by hym we mote be rauyshed in to the loue of inuysyble thynges. 1574 tr. Marlorat's Apocalips 23 Christes works..might rauish all men to haue them in wonderfull admiration. 1600 Holland Livy x. xli. 382 The Romanes were ravished and carried on end to the battaile, with anger, hope, and heate of conflict. |
2. a. To carry away (a woman) by force. (Sometimes implying subsequent violation.) Also said fig. of death. ? Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7048 Alexandre, in þat siquar, þat paris hight, raiuist helayn. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 7422 Þay rauys a mayden aȝens here wyl, And mennys wyuys þey lede awey þertyl. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 171 Iupiter..rauisched Europa, Agenores douȝter. c 1477 Caxton Jason 8 They rauisshed the fayr Ypodame out from alle the other ladyes. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. iii. 33 It was there..Paris after he had rauished Helene, tooke of her the first frutes of his loue. c 1665 Mrs. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1846) 49 Death quenched the flame and ravished the young lady from him. |
b. To commit rape upon (a woman), to violate. Also absol.
| 1436 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 498/1 [He] flesshly knewe and ravysshed ye said Isabell. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 220 b, The women and maides that were fled thither for feare, they ravissh every one [L. constuprant]. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. xi. 397 Defiling virgins, or ravishing them rather, for consent onely defiles. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) II. 159 The Locis Turpitudinis, as it is called, where St. Agnes was in danger of being ravished by two soldiers. 1834 Cycl. Pract. Med. III. 583/1 Ravishing by force any woman-child..or any other woman. 1939 G. B. Shaw Geneva iii. 70 Am I to allow him to kill me and ravish my wife and daughters? 1981 Sunday Times (Colour Suppl.) 8 Mar. 104 He ravished and pillaged{ddd}left sons to hate him, women to fight over his wealth. |
| fig. 1664 Dryden Rival Ladies ii. i, Against her Will fair Julia to possess, Is not t'enjoy but ravish Happiness. 1782 Cowper Table T. 332 May no foes ravish thee [Liberty], and no false friend Betray thee, while professing to defend. |
† c. To spoil, corrupt. Obs. rare—1.
| 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 778 O hateful, vaporous, and foggy Night..With rotten damps ravish the morning air. |
3. a. To carry away or remove from earth (esp. to heaven) or from sight. Now rare.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 18483 We sal be rauist forth a-wai, Sal na man se us fra þat dai. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 5050 We..Sal þan with þam in cloudes be ravyste Up in-to þe ayre. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints x. (Matthew) 210 It hapnyt þe kingis son be ded..þai tald þe kynge þat goddis had rawist hyme. c 1450 Lydg. & Burgh Secrees 97 He was Ravysshed Contemplatyff of desir Vp to the hevene lyk a dowe of ffyr. 1513 Douglas æneis i. i. 50 Ganimedes reveist aboue the sky. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 719 For ever I am ravish'd from thy sight. 1754 Fielding Jonathan Wild iv. vii, A very thick mist ravished her from our eyes. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche Oct. xii, Ravisht to hell by fierce Agesilas, Thou soughtest her on earth and couldst not find. |
b. To carry away (esp. to heaven) in mystical sense; to transport in spirit without bodily removal.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 8915 (Kölbing) This Naciens..Whom seþþen þe holi godes gras Rauist in to þe þridde heuen, Where he herd angels steuen. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxvi. 124 Þanne þei seyn þat he is ravissht in to anoþer world. 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 36 Y was rauyshte in spirite as y laye in the chaptur hows. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 6076 Quhen Paull wes reuyst, in the spreit, Tyll the thrid Heuin. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 56 They haue..naturall idiots, in high veneration; as men rauished in spirit, and taken from themselues, as it were, to the fellowship of Angels. 1644 Evelyn Mem. (1857) I. 117 It has some rare statues, as Paul ravished into the third heaven. |
c. To transport with the strength of some feeling, to carry away with rapture; to fill with ecstasy or delight; to entrance. Also const. from.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1087 So was I rauyste wyth glymme pure. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 17 Hire arraye me rauysshed, sucche ricchesse saw I neuere. 1484 Caxton Fables of Alfonce i, The medecyns..sayd that..he was rauysshed by loue. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cxliv. 538 She had suche ioye that of a great spase she coude speke no word, she was so rauysshyd. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary (1625) 23 Doth not the learned Cosmographie..rauish vs oftentimes and bring in contempt the pleasures of our owne soyle. 1695 Blackmore Pr. Arth. ii. 316 Ambrosial Juices, sweet Nectarean Wine, Ravish'd their Tast. 1753 Hogarth Anal. Beauty v. 28 Ravish the eye with the pleasure of the pursuit. 1826 E. Irving Babylon II. viii. 282, I have been wrapt in wonder, and ravished with delight, in the study of it. 1873 Browning Red Cotton Night-Cap Country iv. 135 You ravish men away From puny aches and petty pains. |
4. a. To seize and take away as plunder or spoil; to seize upon (a thing) by force or violence; to make a prey of. † Also with away.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iv. pr. v. 102 (Camb. MS.) Shrewes rauysshen medes of vertu and ben in honours and in gret estatis. 1382 Wyclif Nahum ii. 9 Rauyshe ȝe syluer, rauyshe ȝe gold. 1483 Caxton Cato B iij, To be wyllyng for to dyspoyle and rauysshe hys neyghbours goodes. 1535 Coverdale Gen. xxxvii. 33 A rauyshinge beast hath rauyshed Ioseph. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 104 Some antiquaries are so jealous of their works, as if every hand which toucheth would ravish them. 1731 Medley Kolben's Cape G. Hope l. 66 The Free-booters had used to ravish away their lives and their cattle. 1794 Burke Sp. agst. W. Hastings Wks. 1826 XV. 430 To steal an iniquitous judgment, which you dare not boldly ravish. |
| absol. 1712–14 Pope Rape Lock ii. 32 He meditates the way, By force to ravish, or by fraud betray. |
| fig. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. pr. i. 50 (Camb. MS.) Whan þat thow ententyf and stylle rauysshedest my wordes. |
† b. To carry, take, pull, or drag away or along in a violent manner without appropriation; to remove by force. Also with away, down. Obs.
| c 1374 [see ravishing ppl. a. 1]. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. viii. xxii. (Bodl. MS.) lf. 86/1 Aboute þe whiche axis alle þe swiftenes of þe firmament is rauessched and ymeued. 1460–4 Paston Lett. No. 434 II. 81 The gret fray..ravyched my witts and mad me ful hevyly dysposyd. 1535 Coverdale Prov. i. 12 These are the ways of all soch as be couetous, that one wolde rauysh anothers life. 1620 Melton Astrolog. 65 His minde was rauished downe the swift torrent of an insolent vanity. 1698 Crowne Caligula iii, Rivers he ravishes, and turns their courses! |
c. Const. from, out of, † into, to.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvi. vii. (Bodl. MS.), Ȝif þow doste þer on [on quicksilver] a scrupil of golde it rauesscheþ into it silfe þe liȝtnes þerof. c 1400 Rom. Rose 5198, I mene not that [love] which makith thee wood,..And ravysshith fro thee all thi witte. 1563 Winȝit Wks. (1890) II. 16 We also.. suld reuiss fra it, that mot proffet to the lyfe eternall. 1634 W. Tirwhyt tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. I.) a ij, The onely thing hee supposed to possess..was ravished from him. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 175, I..am not..obliged to ravish my bread out of the mouths of others. 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1811) II. xxxiii. 239 He even snatched..my struggling hand; and ravished it to his odious mouth. 1838 Prescott Ferd. & Is. (1846) I. ii. 135 The crown was ravished from her posterity. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus lxiv. 5 Fain from Colchian earth her fleece of glory to ravish. |
† d. With double object. Obs.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 462 The sight of þat semely..rauysshed hir radly þe rest of hir sawle. a 1500 Sir Beues 3917 (Pynson) Thou haste rauysshed my men theire liffe. |
† 5. a. To ravage, despoil, plunder. Obs.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4001 Þou..rauissest france & oþer londes. a 1340 Hampole Psalter ix. 32 He waites þat he rauysch þe pore. 1388 Wyclif Isa. xlii. 22 Thilke puple was rauyschid and wasted. c 1619 Bacon Sp. concerning War w. Spain Rem. (1734) 226 We ravished a principal City of wealth and strength. |
† b. To despoil, rob, or deprive (one) of something. Obs.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iv. 34 And hou he rauischede Rose, Reynaldes lemmon, And Mergrete of hire maydenhod. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 29 b, I am not led rashely on like one that were ravished of his wittes. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine viii. 38 Assailing the brothers..[he] rauisht them both of their kingdomes. 1686 F. Spence tr. Varilla's Ho. Medicis 240 As he was..more methodick than Blondus, he ravish'd him of his reputation. a 1803 Hughie Grame xiv. in Child Ballads IV. 13 They may ravish me o' my life, But they canna banish me fro Heaven hie. |