English
rapacious
Rapacious comes from Latin rapāx ‘grasping, greedy’, from rapiō ‘to grab’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- ‘to take away, snatch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reh₁p-‘to take away, snatch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁r̥h₁pyétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rapjō‘to seize, take away’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiō‘to grab’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapāx‘grasping, greedy’
- Englishearliest quotation 1787rapacious
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reh₁p-‘to take away, snatch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁r̥h₁pyétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rapjō‘to seize, take away’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErapiō‘to grab’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErapāx‘grasping, greedy’
- Englishearliest quotation 1787rapacious
Earliest quotation: 1787, Alexander Hamilton: “To presume a want of motives for such contests…”
Formed from -ous
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- ‘to take away, snatch’
grave, repent, reeve, graf, surreptitious, 13 more
through Proto-Italic *rapjō ‘to seize, take away’
through Latin rapiō ‘to grab’
Today it means
adj Voracious; avaricious.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- / rapacious