Rapacious
/rəˈpeɪ.ʃəs/noun
Aggressively greedy or predatory; taking things by force.
Did you know?Rapacious comes from Latin *rapere*, “to snatch, seize, carry off,” the same root behind words tied to abduction and violent taking, not polite desire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reph-
“to snatch, seize, carry off”
Latin
Latin
rapere
“to seize, snatch away, carry off”
Latin
Latin
rapax
“grasping, greedy, predatory”
Late Latin
Latin
rapacius
“more grasping or greedy”
15th Century
English
rapacious
“greedy, plundering, ravenous”
Modern English
English
rapacious
“aggressively greedy or predatory”