rapid

[rap-id] /ˈræp ɪd/
adjective, sometimes, rapider, rapidest.
1.
occurring within a short time; happening speedily:
rapid growth.
2.
moving or acting with great speed; swift:
a rapid worker.
3.
characterized by speed:
rapid motion.
noun
4.
Usually, rapids. a part of a river where the current runs very swiftly.
Origin
1625-35; < Latin rapidus tearing away, seizing, swift. See rape1, -id4
Related forms
rapidly, adverb
ultrarapid, adjective
ultrarapidly, adverb
Can be confused
fast, quick, rapid, swift (see synonym study at quick)
Synonyms
2. See quick.
Examples from the web for rapids
  • Sites where a river can be forded or waterfalls and rapids occur can become a natural meeting point for people.
  • The river is filled with mild to moderate rapids that lend excitement to your whitewater rafting trip.
  • Operators pride themselves on offering the best commercially run rapids in the world.
  • And off-duty rafting guides brave roller-coaster rapids in locally made kayaks.
  • Persuade your guide to tow along an inflatable kayak to bump up the fun factor during the rapids.
British Dictionary definitions for rapids

rapids

/ˈræpɪdz/
plural noun
1.
part of a river where the current is very fast and turbulent

rapid

/ˈræpɪd/
adjective
1.
(of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quick: a rapid transformation
2.
characterized by high speed: rapid movement
3.
acting or moving quickly; fast: a rapid worker
See also rapids
Derived Forms
rapidly, adverb
rapidity (rəˈpɪdɪtɪ), rapidness, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Latin rapidus tearing away, from rapere to seize; see rape1
Word Origin and History for rapids
n.

1765, from French rapides (see rapid); applied by French voyagers to rough, swift-flowing reaches in North American rivers.

rapid

adj.

1630s, "moving quickly," from French rapide (17c.) and directly from Latin rapidus "hasty, swift, rapid; snatching; fierce, impetuous," from rapere "hurry away, carry off, seize, plunder," from PIE root *rep- "to snatch" (cf. Greek ereptomai "devour," harpazein "snatch away," Lithuanian raples "tongs"). Meaning "happening in a short time" is from 1780. Related: Rapidly; rapidness. Rapid-transit first attested 1852, in reference to street railways; rapid eye movement is from 1906.