rapacious (adj.)

"of a grasping habit or disposition," 1650s, from Latin rapaci-, stem of rapax "grasping," itself from stem of rapere "to seize" (see rapid) + -ous. Related: Rapaciously; rapaciousness.

Entries linking to rapacious

rapid (adj.)

1630s, "moving or doing quickly, capable of great speed," from French rapide (17c.) and directly from Latin rapidus "hasty, swift; snatching; fierce, impetuous," from rapere "hurry away, carry off, seize, plunder," from PIE root *rep- "to snatch" (source also of Greek ereptomai "devour," harpazein "snatch away," Lithuanian raplės "tongs").

Meaning "happening in a short time, coming quickly into existence" is from 1780. Related: Rapidly; rapidness. Rapid-fire (adj.) 1890 in reference to guns, figurative or transferred use by 1900; the noun phrase is by 1836. Rapid-transit first attested 1852, in reference to street railways; rapid eye movement, associated with a certain phase of sleep, is from 1906.

-ous

word-forming element making adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, full of, having to do with, doing, inclined to," from Old French -ous, -eux, from Latin -osus (compare -ose (1)). In chemistry, "having a lower valence than forms expressed in -ic."

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Definitions of rapacious

rapacious (adj.)

living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey;

the rapacious wolf

Synonyms: predatory / raptorial / ravening / vulturine / vulturous

rapacious (adj.)

excessively greedy and grasping;

a rapacious divorcee on the prowl

Synonyms: ravening / voracious

rapacious (adj.)

devouring or craving food in great quantities;

a rapacious appetite

Synonyms: edacious / esurient / ravening / ravenous / voracious / wolfish

From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near rapacious

ransom

rant

rantallion

rap

rapable

rapacious

rapacity

rape

Raphael

raphe

rapid