Meaning

noun a sudden short attack

verb search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on

verb enter someone else's territory and take spoils

originFrom Scots raid, from Northern Middle English rade, from Old English rād (“a riding, an expedition on horseback, road”), whence also the inherited English road (“way, street”). The earlier senses of “a riding, expedition, raid” fell into disuse in Early Modern English, but were revived in the northern form raid by Walter Scott in the early 19th century. The use for a swift police operation…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0