Ra-pā’cious, a.
a. [Lat. rapax, rapacis, from rapere, to seize and carry off, to snatch away; Fr. & It. rapace, Sp. rapaz, Pr. rapatz.]
Sense 1. Given to plunder; disposed or accustomed to seize by violence; seizing by force. “The downfall of the rapacious and licentious knights templar.” Motley.
Well may thy lord, appeased, Redeem thee quite from death’s rapacious claim. Milton.
Sense 2. Accustomed to seize for food; subsisting on prey or animals seized by violence; as, a rapacious tiger; a rapacious bird.
Synonyms—Greedy; ravenous; voracious.