Enravished

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Filled with intense delight or rapture, so completely captivated that one seems carried away by pleasure
2. Overcome with joy and wonder, having been transported into a state of pure enchantment
3. Charmed beyond measure and lost in a feeling of blissful, almost overpowering pleasure

Etymology: "Enravished" is the past tense and past participle of "enravish", a verb built from the prefix "en-" and "ravish". The prefix "en-" here means "into" or "to put into a state", so to enravish someone is to put them into a condition of rapture, the way "enrage" puts someone into rage or "enthral" puts them into bondage. The base "ravish" carries the older sense of seizing or carrying off by force, which is where the rapture comes from: the mind is carried away, and the person is taken out of themselves. The verb is therefore a compound of two English-based elements rather than a loanword with its own separate history. Its shape follows a pattern common in English, where "en-" joins with a base to form a transitive verb describing a change of state. The adjective use follows naturally from the participle, describing someone who is in that state of being carried away by delight or admiration.

Synonyms: enraptured, ravished, enchanted