enrapture
UK[ɪnˈræptʃə(r)]US[ɪnˈræptʃər]
v
to fill someone with great delight or joy; to captivate completely.
Morpheme Breakdown
en
rapture
en
cause to be
rapture
ecstatic joy
Etymology
the word 'enrapture' is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the older noun 'rapture'. the core of the word, 'rapture', originates from the latin 'raptus', the past participle of 'rapere', meaning 'to seize, carry off'. this sense of being seized or carried away evolved metaphorically into a state of intense spiritual or emotional ecstasy. by adding the causative prefix 'en-', the verb 'enrapture' was created, literally meaning 'to cause to be in a state of rapture' or 'to fill with ecstatic joy', describing the act of captivating someone utterly.
Analysis
Structure: en (cause to be) + rapture (ecstatic joy)
en- (from latin 'in-', a prefix meaning 'to put into, cause to be'); rapture (from latin 'raptus', meaning 'a seizing, carrying off', and later 'ecstasy, transport of mind').
Examples
the breathtaking performance enraptured the entire audience.
she was enraptured by the beauty of the sunset over the mountains.
his storytelling has the power to enrapture listeners of all ages.