LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird (-iō variant) conjugation

rapiō

rapiō (present infinitive rapere, perfect active rapuī, supine raptum)
Classical[ˈra.pi.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈraː.pi.o]
№ 273 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. to snatch, grab, carry off, abduct, rape, steal
    Ībis tandem aliquandō quō tē iam prīdem ista tua cupiditās effrēnāta ac furiōsa rapiēbat.You will go, finally at last, to where for a long time that unrestrained and mad desire of yours was first seizing you.
  2. to snatch (oneself); take off, hurry
    Ocius hinc te ni rapis, accedes opera agro nona SabinoIf you don’t take yourself off in a jiffy, you’ll make the ninth labourer on my Sabine farm. (literally, “If you don't tear yourself away from here more quickly, you will come near in resemblance to the ninth worker on my Sabine farm”)c. 35 BCE, Horatius, Sermones 2.7.144

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

vī et celeriter capiō; lupus agnum rapit.
rapiō -ere — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma

Conjugation

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.rapiōrapiēbamrapiamrapuīrapueramrapuerō
2nd sg.rapisrapiēbāsrapiēsrapuistīrapuerāsrapueris
3rd sg.rapitrapiēbatrapietrapuitrapueratrapuerit
1st pl.rapimusrapiēbāmusrapiēmusrapuimusrapuerāmusrapuerimus
2nd pl.rapitisrapiēbātisrapiētisrapuistisrapuerātisrapueritis
3rd pl.rapiuntrapiēbantrapientrapuērunt
rapuēre		rapuerantrapuerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.rapiamraperemrapuerimrapuissem
2nd sg.rapiāsraperēsrapuerīsrapuissēs
3rd sg.rapiatraperetrapueritrapuisset
1st pl.rapiāmusraperēmusrapuerīmusrapuissēmus
2nd pl.rapiātisraperētisrapuerītisrapuissētis
3rd pl.rapiantraperentrapuerintrapuissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.rapiorrapiēbarrapiar
2nd sg.raperis
rapere		rapiēbāris
rapiēbāre		rapiēris
rapiēre
3rd sg.rapiturrapiēbāturrapiētur
1st pl.rapimurrapiēbāmurrapiēmur
2nd pl.rapiminīrapiēbāminīrapiēminī
3rd pl.rapiunturrapiēbanturrapientur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.rapiarraperer
2nd sg.rapiāris
rapiāre		raperēris
raperēre
3rd sg.rapiāturraperētur
1st pl.rapiāmurraperēmur
2nd pl.rapiāminīraperēminī
3rd pl.rapianturraperentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.raperapere
pres. 2nd pl.rapiterapiminī
fut. 2nd sg.rapitōrapitor
fut. 3rd sg.rapitōrapitor
fut. 2nd pl.rapitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.rapiuntōrapiuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiverapererapī
perfect infinitiverapuisseraptum esse
future infinitiveraptūrum esseraptum īrī
present participlerapiēns
rapiente, rapientem, rapientēs, rapientī, rapientia, rapientibus, rapientis, rapientīs, rapientium		—
perfect participle—raptus
future participleraptūrus
raptūra, raptūrā, raptūrae, raptūram, raptūrārum, raptūrās, raptūre, raptūrī, raptūrīs, raptūrō, raptūrōrum, raptūrōs, raptūrum		rapiendus
rapiundus, rapiunda, rapiundā, rapiundae, rapiundam, rapiundārum, rapiundās, rapiunde, rapiundī, rapiundīs, rapiundō, rapiundōrum, rapiundōs, rapiundum
gerundrapiendī, rapiendō, rapiendumsupineraptum, raptū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

citatum agmen rapere
to lead the army with forced marches.
aliquem in errorem inducere, rapere
to lead a person into error.

răpĭo, pŭi, ptum, 3 (old
I. perf. subj. rapsit, Cic. Leg. 2, 9, 22; part. perf. fem. ex raptabus, Gell. ap. Charis. p. 39 P.), v. a. root ἁρπ; Gr. ἅρπη, a bird of prey, ἁρπαγή, ἁρπάζω; Lat. rapidus, rapax, rapina, etc.; cf. Sanscr. lup-, lumpāmi, rumpo; Gr. λῦπή, to seize and carry off, to snatch, tear, drag, draw, or hurry away, = violenter sive celeriter capio (freq. and class.; in Cæs. not at all, and in Cic. mostly in the trop. signif.; cf.: ago, fero, traho, capio, sumo).
I. Lit.
A. In gen., Plaut. Rud. 3, 6, 15; 30; 31: quo rapitis me? quo fertis me? id. Men. 5, 7, 10; cf. Verg. A. 6, 845; Ov. M. 9, 121: quo me cunque rapit tempestas? Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 15; cf. id. C. 3, 25, 1: sumasne pudenter an rapias, snatch, id. Ep. 1, 17, 45; cf. id. S. 1, 5, 76: hostes vivos rapere soleo ex acie: ex hoc nomen mihi est (sc. Harpax), Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 60: te ex lustris uxor, id. As. 5, 2, 84: volucri spe et cogitatione rapi a domo, Cic. Rep. 2, 4, 7: ab aede rapuit funale, Ov. M. 12, 247: torrem ab aris, id. ib. 12, 271: deque sinu matris ridentem . . . Learchum . . . rapit, id. ib. 4, 516 (for which, simply sinu, id. ib. 13, 450): hastam, de vulnere, id. ib. 5, 137: telum, Verg. A. 10, 486: repagula de posti, Ov. M. 5, 120: (frondes) altā rapit arbore ventus, id. ib. 3, 730: vi atque ingratis ... rapiam te domum, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 40: aliquem sublimem domum, id. As. 5, 2, 18; cf.: sublimem, id. Mil. 5, 1; id. Men. 5, 7, 6; Ter. And. 5, 2, 20: commeatum in naves rapiunt, Liv. 41, 3: aliquem in jus, Plaut. Rud. 3, 6, 21; so, in jus, id. Poen. 5, 5, 56; Hor. S. 1, 9, 77; 2, 3, 72; cf.: in jus ad regem, Liv. 1, 26: in carcerem, Suet. Tib. 11; 61: aliquem ad cornuficem, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 156; id. Bacch. 4, 4, 37: ad praetorem, id. Aul. 4, 10, 30: ad supplicium ob facinus, Cic. de Or. 2, 59, 238: ad mortem, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 52, § 138; id. Cat. 1, 10, 27: ad tortorem, id. Tusc. 5, 5, 13: ad poenam, Suet. Claud. 10; 37; id. Vit. 14: ad consulem, Liv. 10, 20: matres, virgines, pueros ad stuprum, id. 26, 13: teneram virginem ad virum, Cat. 61, 3 (cf.: rapi simulatur virgo ex gremio matris, aut, si ea non est, ex proximā necessitudine, cum ad virum traditur, quod videlicet ea res feliciter Romulo cessit, Fest. p. 289 Müll.): illum (sc. lembum) in praeceps prono rapit alveus amni, Verg. G. 1, 203: nec variis obsita frondibus Sub divum rapiam, drag into open day, Hor. C. 1, 18, 13. — Poet.: Nasonis carmina rapti, i. e. torn from his home, borne far away, Ov. P. 4, 16, 1; cf. id. H. 13, 9; Stat. S. 3, 5, 6. —
B. With the idea of swiftness predominating: Turnus rapit Totam aciem in Teucros, Verg. A. 10, 308: rapit agmina ductor, Luc. 1, 228: agmina cursu, Sil. 7, 116: legiones, Plin. Pan. 14: curru rapi, Sil. 1, 134: quattuor hinc rapimur raedis, Hor. S. 1, 5, 86: Notus rapit biremes, Sil. 17, 276: carinas venti rapuere, Luc. 3, 46: rapit per aequora navem, hurries it away, Verg. A. 10, 660; cf.: ventis per aequora, Ov. M. 14, 470: missos currus, Hor. S. 1, 1, 114: pedes quo te rapiunt, id. C. 3, 11, 49: arma rapiat juventus, snatch up, Verg. A. 7, 340; so, arma, Ov. M. 2, 603: arma manu, Verg. A. 8, 220: bipennem dextrā, id. ib. 11, 651: cingula, id. ib. 9, 364.—
2. With reflex. pron., to hasten, hurry, tear one's self, etc.: ocius hinc te Ni rapis, Hor. S. 2, 7, 118; cf. Ov. Am. 3, 5, 29: se ad caedem optimi cujusque, Cic. Phil. 13, 8, 18.—
C. In partic.
1. To carry off by force; to seize, rob, ravish; to plunder, ravage, lay waste, take by assault, carry by force, etc. (very freq.; cf. praedor), Plaut. Men. 1, 3, 11: erat ei vivendum latronum ritu, ut tantum haberet, quantum rapere potuisset, Cic. Phil. 2, 25, 62: tamquam pilam rapiunt inter se rei publicae statum tyranm ab regibus, id. Rep. 1, 44, 68: virgines rapi jussit ... quae raptae erant, etc., id. ib. 2, 7, 12; 2, 8, 14; so, virgines, to carry off, abduct, Sall. C. 51, 9; Liv. 1, 9; Quint. 7, 7, 3; 9, 2, 70; Hor. C. 2, 4, 8; Ov. M. 12, 225; id. A. A. 1, 680: raptus a dis Ganymedes, Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 65: ab Idā, Hor. C. 3, 20, 16: omne sacrum rapiente dextrā, id. ib. 3, 3, 52: alii rapiunt incensa feruntque Pergama, pillage and plunder, Verg. A. 2, 374 (the Homeric ἄγουσι και φέρουσι; for which, in prose, ferre et agere; v. ago); cf.: rapturus moenia Romae, Luc. 3, 99: Theumeson, to seize by force, Stat. Th. 4, 370: Armeniam, to plunder, lay waste, Tac. A. 13, 6: Karthaginem, Sil. 15, 401: urbem, Stat. Th. 7, 599: raptas ad litora vertere praedas, Verg. A. 1, 528.— Absol.: rapio propalam, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 10: ut Spartae, rapere ubi pueri et clepere discunt, Cic. Rep. 4, 5, 11 (Non. 20, 14): agunt, rapiunt, tenent, id. Rep. 3, 33, 45 Mos.; cf. along with trahere, Sall. C. 11, 4; id. J. 41, 5; with congerere, auferre, Mart. 8, 44, 9.— With the idea of rapidity predominating: castra urbesque primo impetu rapere, to conquer rapidly (= raptim capere), Liv. 6, 23, 5 Drak.; so, castra, Flor. 3, 20, 4; 4, 12, 34: Bithyniam, id. 3, 5, 6: Hispaniam, id. 2, 17, 6: arces, Luc. 6, 14.— Part. perf. subst.
(a). rapta, ae, f., the ravished one, the seduced: gratus raptae raptor fuit, Ov. A. A. 1, 680; id. H. 5, 97; 13, 55; 16, 339; id. F. 4, 607.—
(b). raptum, i, n., the plunder, that which is stolen: rapto vivere, to live by robbery, Liv. 7, 25 fin.; 22, 39; 28, 24: Quint. 3, 7, 24; Sen. Ep. 70 fin.; Curt. 3, 10 fin.; Just. 41, 4, 7; Verg. A. 7, 749; Ov. M. 11, 291; id. Tr. 5, 10, 16; for which: ex rapto vivere, id. M. 1, 144; so, rapto gaudere, Liv. 29, 6, 3 Drak.: rapto potiri, Verg. A. 4, 217: rapto uti, Vell. 2, 73, 3: sine rapto vivere, id. 2, 32 fin.—
2. To cut off, mutilate (poet.): caput, Sil. 15, 807: ora gladio, id. 7, 704: rapuit non dente ferarum, Luc. 10, 517.—
3. To carry off suddenly or prematurely by death, to snatch away (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): improvisa leti Vis rapuit rapietque gentes, Hor. C. 2, 13, 20; so id. ib. 2, 17, 5; 4, 2, 21; id. Ep. 1, 14, 7; Verg. A. 6, 428; Ov. P. 4, 11, 5; Stat. S. 2, 1, 208; 5, 3, 16; Plin. 7, 8, 6, § 46; Suet. Calig. 7; Just. 2, 2, 13 (but Liv. 3, 50, 8: fato erepta, v. Drak.)— Absol.: et labor et durae rapit inclementia mortis, i. e. hurries on, Verg. G. 3, 68: RAPTA EST = obiit, Inscr. Orell. 4475.
II. Transf. (poet.), of any action or motion which resembles seizing, snatching, etc.: flammanm, to catch quickly, Verg. A. 1, 176; Ov. M. 3, 374; cf.: incendia, id. ib. 15, 350: nigrum colorem, to take or assume quickly, id. ib. 7, 289; cf.: vim monstri, id. ib. 4, 744; and v. III.: Halesus Turno feroces Mille rapit populos, leads hastily on, Verg. A. 7, 725; cf. id. ib. 10, 178: rapiuntque ruuntque; Litora deseruere, take hold, seize in haste (the cables, etc.), id. ib. 4, 581; cf.: scalas, Auct. B. Alex. 20, 4.—Of the gliding movement of a serpent nec rapit immensos orbes per humum, sweeps along, Verg. G. 2, 153: pars densa ferarum Tecta rapit, i. e. range quickly through, Verg. A. 6, 8 Heyne; cf.: acrior et campum sonipes rapit, Stat. Th. 5, 3.
III. Trop.
A. In gen., to snatch, force, or hurry away: fertur quasi torrens oratio, quamvis multa cujusquemodi rapiat, Cic. Fin. 2, 1, 3: ipsae res verba rapiunt, carry along with them, id. ib. 3, 5, 19: aspice me quanto rapiat Fortuna periclo, carries away (the figure taken from a storm at sea), Prop. 1, 15, 3: aliquem in deteriorem viam, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 54; cf.: (comoediam) in pejorem partem, i. e. to put a bad construction upon, to misconstrue, misrepresent, Ter. Ad. prol. 3: consilium meum in contrariam partem, Pollio ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 2: aliquem in invidiam, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 7: opinionibus vulgi rapimur in errorem, id. Leg. 2, 17, 43: si quis in adversum rapiat casusve deusve, Verg. A. 9, 211; Cic. Tusc. 5, 5, 13: cum aliqua his ampla et honesta res objecta est, totos ad se convertit et rapit, seizes upon, appropriates, id. Off. 2, 10, 37; cf.: commoda ad se, id. ib. 3, 5, 22: victoriae gloriam in se, Liv. 33, 11 fin.: almum Quae rapit hora diem, snatches away, Hor. C. 4, 7, 8; cf.: simul tecum solatia rapta, Verg. E. 9, 18: impetus rapit huc, rapit illuc, Stat. Th. 12, 794.—
B. In partic.
1. To carry along or away with passion, to transport, ravish, captivate; and with a designation of the limit, to carry or hurry away, to attract strongly to any thing (usually in a bad sense): impetu raptus, Quint. 7, 2, 44: judicem rapere, id. 6, 2, 3; cf. id. 10, 1, 110; 12, 10, 61: praedae ac rapinarum cupiditas caeca te rapiebat, Cic. Pis. 24, 57: amentiā rapi, id. Fam. 16, 12, 2: furorne caecus, an rapit vis acrior, An culpa? Hor. Epod. 7, 13; cf.: in medias res auditorem, id. A. P. 149: utraque forma rapit, Prop. 2, 25 (3, 20), 44: quem (sc. leonem) cruenta Per medias rapit ira caedes, Hor. C. 3, 2, 12: rapit omnes ira, Sil. 14, 299: ὁρμή, quae hominem huc et illuc rapit, Cic. Off. 1, 28 fin.; cf. Verg. A. 4, 286; 8, 21: ad quas (res) plerique inflammati aviditate rapiuntur, Cic. Off. 2, 11, 38: animus cupidine caecus ad inceptum scelus rapiebat, Sall. J. 25, 7: ea (cupiditas) ad oppugnandam Capuam rapit, Liv. 7, 30 et saep.—In a good sense: qui ad divinarum rerum cognitionem curā omni studioque rapiantur, Cic. Div. 1, 49, 111: rapi ad opes augendas generis humani, id. Rep. 1, 2, 3. — Poet., with inf. (for ad aliquid): (mundus) rapit aetherios per carmina pandere census, Manil. 1, 12.—
2. To seize by violence, to snatch, steal (poet.): Hippodameam raptis nactu'st nuptiis, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 12, 26 (Trag. v. 398 Vahl.): oscula, Hor. C. 2, 12, 28; Tib. 1, 4, 53; 55; 1, 8, 58; cf.: Venerem incertam, Hor. S. 1, 3, 109; cf.: sed rapiat sitiens Venerem, but may eagerly seize upon, Verg. G. 3, 137: illicitas voluptates, Tac. H. 3, 41: spem adoptionis acrius in dies, id. ib. 1, 13 fin.: quo facinore dominationem raptum ierit expediam, id. A. 4, 1; cf. id. H. 2, 6.—
3. With the idea of rapidity or haste predominating, to snatch, seize, or lay hold of quickly, to hasten, precipitate (poet.; in prose only since the Aug. per.): vive, Ulixes, dum licet: Oculis postremum lumen radiatum rape: non dixit cape, non pete; haberet enim moram sperantis diutius sese victurum; sed rape, Cic. de Or. 3, 40, 162 (from an old poet.): rapiamus, amici, Occasionem de die, Hor. Epod. 13, 3; so, occasionem, Juv. 15, 39: viam, to hasten, Ov. H. 19, 74 Loers; cf. iter, Sil. 12, 471: gressus, Luc. 3, 116: cursus, id. 5, 403: letum, id. 4, 345: bellum, to wage suddenly, id. 5, 403: nefas, to hasten, precipitate, id. 10, 428: ut limis rapias, quid prima secundo Cera velit versu, may hastily note, Hor. S. 2, 5, 53 al.—In prose: raptae prope inter arma nuptiae, Liv. 30, 14, 2 Drak.: repente impetu facto transitum rapuit, Front. Strat. 1, 4, 8: inter rapienda momenta periculorum communium, Amm. 18, 7, 7 et saep.—
4. In late Lat., to strive for in purchasing: exemplaria litterarum certatim, Hier. Ep. 57, 2: librum totā certatim urbe, Sulp. Sev. Dial. 1, 23.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁reh₁p-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁r̥h₁pyéti
  3. Proto-Italic*rapjō
  4. Latinrapiō

Inherited from Proto-Italic *rapjō. De Vaan supports a derivation from a PIE root of the shape Proto-Indo-European *h₁rep- (“to take away, snatch”), the zero-grade of which—*h₁r̥p-—may have, according to De Vaan, yielded *erp-, which was then perhaps replaced by a secondary zero-grade *rap-. Even more specifically, De Vaan suggests an original athematic i-present of the shape *h₁r̥p-i-. Schrijver alternatively posits a root of the shape *h₁reh₁p-, the zero-grade of which—*h₁r̥h₁p-—could have yielded rap- via a sound law *HRHC > RaC. De Vaan, however, criticizes this etymology, arguing that it presumes the existence of two separate roots *h₁rep- and *h₁reh₁p-, both with identical meanings.

Gallo-Romance
  • Occitanrabir
  • Catalanrapirfrom Old Catalan rabir
  • Frenchravirfrom Old French ravir
  • Englishravishfrom Old French ravir
Borrowings
  • Catalanraptar
  • Englishrape
  • Portugueseraptar
  • Spanishraptar
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianrăpi
  • Romanianrăpire
  • Aromanianarachiu
  • Aromanianarãchescu, arãchiri
Italo-Romance
  • Italianrapire
  • Sicilianrapiri
Gallo-Italic
  • Piedmonteserapì
Ibero-Romance
  • Old Spanishrabir

Quick answers

What does rapiō mean in Latin?
rapiō, a verb, means “to snatch, grab, carry off, abduct, rape, steal; to snatch (oneself); take off, hurry”.
What are the principal parts of rapiō?
rapiō, rapere, rapuī (third (-iō variant) conjugation).
How do you pronounce rapiō?
In classical Latin, [ˈra.pi.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈraː.pi.o].
Where does rapiō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- → Proto-Indo-European *h₁r̥h₁pyéti → Proto-Italic *rapjō → Latin rapiō.