Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Rive

//ɹaɪv// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from French.
Noun
  1. 1
    A place torn; a rent; a rift.
  2. 2
    A bank or shore.
Verb
  1. 1
    To tear apart by force; to rend; to split; to cleave. transitive

    "I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds / Have rived the knotty oaks[…]"

  2. 2
    To land.
  3. 3
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument wordnet
  4. 4
    To pierce or cleave with a weapon. archaic, transitive

    "And therwith she toke the swerd from her loue that lay ded and fylle to the ground in a swowne / And whan she aroos she made grete dole out of mesure / the whiche sorowe greued Balyn passyngly sore / and he wente vnto her for to haue taken the swerd oute of her hād but[…]sodenly she sette the pomell to the ground / and rofe her self thorow the body"

  5. 5
    tear or be torn violently wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    To break apart; to split. intransitive

    "The varlet at his plaint was grieu'd so sore, / That his deepe wounded hart in two did riue[…]."

  2. 7
    To burst open; explode; discharge. rare, transitive

    "Ten thousand French have ta'en the sacrament, To rive their dangerous artillery"

  3. 8
    To use a technique of splitting or sawing wood radially from a log (e.g. clapboards).

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English riven (“to rive”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse rífa (“to rend, tear apart”), from Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (“to tear, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to crumble, tear”). Cognate with Danish rive (“to tear”), Old Frisian rīva (“to tear”), Old English ārǣfan (“to let loose, unwrap”), Old Norse ript (“breach of contract, rift”), Norwegian Bokmål rive (“to tear”), Swedish riva (”to tear”) and Albanian rrip (“belt, rope”). More at rift.

Etymology 2

From Middle English riven (“to rive”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse rífa (“to rend, tear apart”), from Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (“to tear, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to crumble, tear”). Cognate with Danish rive (“to tear”), Old Frisian rīva (“to tear”), Old English ārǣfan (“to let loose, unwrap”), Old Norse ript (“breach of contract, rift”), Norwegian Bokmål rive (“to tear”), Swedish riva (”to tear”) and Albanian rrip (“belt, rope”). More at rift.

Etymology 3

Compare Latin ripa (“shore”)

Etymology 4

Compare Latin ripa (“shore”)

Etymology 5

Borrowed from French Rive.

See also for "rive"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: rive