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The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section R · Project Gutenberg — chapter 43 of 470 · ~446 words · public domain

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Syn. -- Greedy; grasping; ravenous; voracious.

-- Ra*pa"cious*ly, adv. -- Ra*pa"cious*ness, n.

Ra*pac"i*ty (r*ps"*t), n. [L. rapacitas: cf. F. rapacité. See Rapacious.] 1. The quality of being rapacious; rapaciousness; ravenousness; as, the rapacity of pirates; the rapacity of wolves.

2. The act or practice of extorting or exacting by oppressive injustice; exorbitant greediness of gain. "The rapacity of some ages." Sprat.

Rap`a*ree" (rp`*r"), n. See Rapparee.

Rape (rp), n. [F. râpe a grape stalk.] 1. Fruit, as grapes, plucked from the cluster. Ray.

2. The refuse stems and skins of grapes or raisins from which the must has been expressed in wine making.

3. A filter containing the above refuse, used in clarifying and perfecting malt, vinegar, etc.

Rape wine, a poor, thin wine made from the last dregs of pressed grapes.

Rape, n. [Akin to rap to snatch, but confused with L. rapere. See Rap to snatch.] 1. The act of seizing and carrying away by force; violent seizure; robbery.

And ruined orphans of thy rapes complain.

Sandys.

2. (Law) Sexual connection with a woman without her consent. See Age of consent, under Consent, n.

3. That which is snatched away. [Obs.]

Where now are all my hopes? O, never more Shall they revive! nor death her rapes restore.

Sandys.

4. Movement, as in snatching; haste; hurry. [Obs.]

Rape, v. t. To commit rape upon; to ravish.

To rape and ren. See under Rap, v. t., to snatch.

Rape, v. i. To rob; to pillage. [Obs.] Heywood.

Rape, n. [Icel. hreppr village, district; cf. Icel. hreppa to catch, obtain, AS. hrepian, hreppan, to touch.] One of six divisions of the county of Sussex, England, intermediate between a hundred and a shire.

Rape, n. [L. rapa, rapum, akin to Gr. "ra`pys, "ra`fys, G. rübe.] (Bot.) A name given to a variety or to varieties of a plant of the turnip kind, grown for seeds and herbage. The seeds are used for the production of rape oil, and to a limited extent for the food of cage birds.

These plants, with the edible turnip, have been variously named, but are all now believed to be derived from the Brassica campestris of Europe, which by some is not considered distinct from the wild stock (B. oleracea) of the cabbage. See Cole.

Broom rape. (Bot.) See Broom rape, in the Vocabulary. -- Rape cake, the refuse remaining after the oil has been expressed from the rape seed. -- Rape root. Same as Rape. -- Summer rape. (Bot.) See Colza.

Rape"ful (rp"fl), a. 1. Violent. [Obs.]

2. Given to the commission of rape. Byron.

Rap"ful*ly (rp"fl*l), adv. Violently. [Obs.]

Raph`a*el*esque" (rf`*l*sk"), a. Like Raphael's works; in Raphael's manner of painting.

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