I. ˈrapchə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin rapt us (past participle of rapere ) + English -ure
1. archaic
a. : the act of seizing and carrying off with force : forcible capture : abduction
b. : rape 3a
2. archaic : the act of carrying or being carried along : force of onward movement
3.
a. : a carrying of a person to heaven
b. : Christ's raising up of his true church and its members to a realm above the earth where the whole company will enjoy celestial bliss with its Lord
4.
a. : the state of being carried out of oneself : spiritual or emotional ecstasy : possession by an overwhelming emotion (as joy, love)
b. : an experience of this sort
the raptures of the deep hazardous to divers are caused by nitrogen narcosis
5. : a spasm or fit of emotion : paroxysm
6. : an expression or manifestation of ecstasy or passionate feeling : rhapsody
7. : a mystical phenomenon in which the soul is borne out of itself and exalted to a knowledge of divine things
Synonyms: see ecstasy
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to transport with rapture (as of joy) : enrapture