▪ I. rapine, n.
(ˈræpɪn, ˈræpaɪn)
Forms: 5–6 rapyne, 6– rapine, (7 -in).
[a. F. rapine (12th c.) or ad. L. rapīna, f. rapĕre to seize: see rape v.2 and -ine4. The popular form in OF. was ravine ravine.]
a. The act or practice of seizing and taking away by force the property of others; plunder, pillage, robbery.
| a 1420 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 4834 Is it Knyghtly to live on rapyne? nay. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xi. (Percy Soc.) 41 For these thre vyces abhominable..For his pryde, avaryce, and also rapyne. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary (1625) 44 What rapine, what theft,..was in him throughly planted? 1637 R. Humfrey tr. St. Ambrose Pref., Countries layed open to their furious rapin. 1699 Burnett 39 Art. xxxvii. (1700) 390 All the Rapine and Bloodshed that is occasioned by their Pride and Injustice. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, i. Wks. 1813 V. 66 The lawless rapine of banditti..rendered a journey of any length a perilous enterprise. 1879 H. Phillips Notes Coins 9 The robber city, founded by outlaws and living by rapine. |
| fig. 1879 Geo. Eliot Theo. Such xi. 202 Angry at his conversational rapine. |
b. pl. Acts of violent robbery or pillage. (Freq. in 17th c., now rare.)
| 1494 Fabyan Chron. (1516) II. 45 b/2 The good Cristen people, whiche they had harmed by meanes of their Rapynes & extorcions. 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) 56 Nought is in warfar save..murder and mischiefe, rapines and cowardise. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 363 Such were the Popes rapines and enormous proceedings in those dayes. a 1711 Ken Hymnotheo Poet. Wks. 1721 III. 31 A lawless Band, Infesting with their Rapines all the Land. 1826 Southey Vind. Eccl. Angl. 348 The Judges complained to the king of the frequent thefts, rapines, and homicides. |
c. beast (etc.) of rapine: beast of prey.
| 1612 Selden Illustr. Drayton's Poly-olb. iv. 252 To haue terrible crests or ingraven beasts of Rapine..hath been from inmost antiquity continued. 1648 Gage West Ind. xii. (1655) 44 For hawking fowles, and fowles of rapine. 1859 Tennyson Merlin & V. 578 That foul bird of rapine whose whole prey Is man's good name. |
▪ II. † ˈrapine, v. Obs. rare.
[f. prec. or a. F. rapiner (1507).]
a. intr. To commit rapine. b. trans. To plunder, or carry away, by rapine.
| 1580 Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong, Rapiner, to rapine, to robbe, and spoile. 1646 Buck Rich. III, v. 134 A Tyrant doth not onely rapine his Subjects, but Spoils and robs Churches and Church-men. 1660 F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 323 In their dealings these people are lawlesse, trading in slaves..which they rapine from all parts. |
So ˈrapiner, one who commits rapine. rare—1.
| 1843 Lytton Last Bar. iv. v, Are not the king's officers and purveyors licensed spoilers and rapiners? |