Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of rapid

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.

also from 1630s

Entries linking to rapid

harpy(n.)

winged monster of ancient mythology, late 14c., from Old French harpie (14c.), from Latin harpyia, from Greek Harpyia (plural), literally "snatchers," which is probably related to harpazein "to snatch" (see rapid (adj.)). Metaphoric extension to "repulsively greedy person" is c. 1400.

In Homer they are merely personified storm winds, who were believed to have carried off any person that had suddenly disappeared. In Hesiod they are fair-haired and winged maidens who surpass the winds in swiftness, and are called Aello and Ocypete; but in later writers they are represented as disgusting monsters, with heads like maidens, faces pale with hunger, and claws like those of birds. The harpies ministered to the gods as the executors of vengeance. ["American Cyclopædia," 1874]
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.

Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Trends of rapid

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

raven
Late Old English ræfen, refen, earlier hræfn (Mercian), hrefn, hræfn (Northumbrian, West Saxon), from Proto-Germanic *khrabanaz (source also of Old Norse hrafn, Danish ravn, Dutch raaf, Old High German hraban, German Rabe "raven," Old English hroc "rook"), from a PIE root imitati
ravish
c. 1300, ravishen, "to seize (someone) by violence, carry away (a person, especially a woman)," from Old French raviss-, present-participle stem of ravir "to seize, take away hastily," from Vulgar Latin *rapire, from Latin rapere "to seize and carry off, carry away suddenly, hurr
surreptitious
"fraudulent, done by stealth or without legitimate authority," mid-15c., surrepticious, from Latin surrepticius "stolen, furtive, clandestine," from surreptus, past participle of surripere, "seize secretly, take away, steal, plagiarize," from assimilated form of sub "from under"
spin
1831, "a rapid revolving motion, act or spell of whirling round," from spin (v.)....It was extended to continued rapid motion of any kind; the meaning "a fairly rapid ride" as a pastime or for exercise is...
palpitation
early 15c., palpitacioun, "rapid movement, trembling or quivering motion," from Latin palpitationem (nominative palpitatio...Specifically of unnatural rapid beating or pulsation of the heart (excited by emotion, disease, etc.) by c. 1600....
impetus
early 15c., impetous "rapid movement, rush;" 1640s, with modern spelling, "force with which a body moves, driving force,"...from Latin impetus "an attack, assault; rapid motion; an impulse; violence, vigor, force;" figuratively "ardor, passion,...
fast
Meaning "rapid, quick" is from 1550s, from fast (adv.), in which entry the attempt is made to explain how a root meaning..."firm, solid" came variously to yield words for "refrain from eating" (fast (v.)) and "rapid, quick."...
river
early 13c. (late 12c. in surnames), "a considerable body of water flowing with perceptible current in a definite course or channel," from Anglo-French rivere, Old French riviere "river, riverside, river bank" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *riparia "riverbank, seashore, river" (source
speedy
Middle English spedi, "beneficial, helpful," from Old English spedig "prosperous, successful, wealthy," from speed (n.) + -y (2). The meaning "rapid, moving swiftly, agile, nimble" is from mid-14c. Related: Speedily; speediness. Speedy Gonzales, Warner Brothers studios talking Me
hocus-pocus
magical formula used in conjuring, 1630s, earlier Hocas Pocas, common name of a magician or juggler (1620s); a sham-Latin invocation used by jugglers, perhaps based on a perversion of the sacramental blessing from the Mass, Hoc est corpus meum "This is my body." The first to make

Share rapid

Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Trending
Dictionary entries near rapid
Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.