French Conversation · Level 170
15 words
French word
ravisseur
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁavisœʁ/
Meaning
- masculine nounkidnapper
Example
La police a arrêté le ravisseur hier soir.
The police arrested the kidnapper last night.
More examples
Le ravisseur a exigé une rançon.
The kidnapper demanded a ransom.
Core concept
A captor who removes a person's freedom and keeps that person from escaping.
Common phrases
arrêter le ravisseur
arrest the kidnapper
le ravisseur présumé
the suspected kidnapper
un ravisseur armé
an armed kidnapper
Similar words
kidnappeur: A criminal who takes someone away by force or threat.
séquestrateur: A person who confines someone for a long time and deprives them of freedom.
preneur d'otages: A person who takes hostages to demand money or other concessions.
Definition in French
Individu coupable d'avoir privé quelqu'un de sa liberté par la force, la menace ou la tromperie, c'est-à-dire qui a kidnappé cette personne.
Word origin
Ravisseur is an agent noun built from ravir and -isseur, and ravir is an inherited development from Latin rapere through the history of French.
Usage tips
- Ravisseur names a criminal, whereas ravissant usually means delightful or charming, so the similar forms require attention to context.