English
rapture
Rapture comes from Latin raptūra, from rapiō ‘snatch, carry off’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p-.
- 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‘snatch, carry off’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEraptūrafuture active participle of rapiō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600rapture
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1608–1609same form
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‘snatch, carry off’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEraptūrafuture active participle of rapiō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600rapture
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1608–1609same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1608–1609, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Coriolanus: “Your pratling nurse Into a rapture lets her baby…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- ‘to take away, snatch’
grave, repent, reeve, graf, surreptitious, 14 more
through Proto-Italic *rapjō ‘to seize, take away’
through Latin rapiō ‘snatch, carry off’
Today it means
noun Extreme pleasure, happiness or excitement.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- / rapture