Etymology
1. c.1386, "seize prey, take by force," from Anglo-Fr.
raper, O.Fr.
raper "to seize, abduct," a legal term, from L.
rapere "seize, carry off by force, abduct" (see rapid). L.
rapere was used for "sexual violation," but only very rarely; the usual L. word being
stuprum, lit. "disgrace." Sense of "sexual violation or ravishing of a woman" first recorded in Eng. as a noun, 1481 (the noun sense of "taking anything -- including a woman -- away by force" is from c.1400). The verb in this sense is from 1577.
Rapist is from 1883.
2. From Middle English rapen, rappen (“to abduct; ravish; seduce; rape; seize; snatch; carry off; transport”), probably from Latin rapiō (verb), possibly through or influenced by Anglo-Norman rap, rape (noun) (compare also ravish). But compare Swedish rappa (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), Low German rapen (“to snatch, seize”), Dutch rapen (“to pick up, gather, collect”); the relationship with Germanic forms is not clear. Cognate with Lithuanian reikėti (“to be in need”). Compare also rap (“seize, snatch”). Further, some senses may be from Etymology 3, an Old Norse word. See: Latin '
rapiō', Swedish '
rappa', Low Saxon 'rapen', Dutch '
rapen', Lithuanian '
reikėti'.