rive

Meanings

Verb

• To tear apart by force; to rend; to split; to cleave.
• To pierce or cleave with a weapon.
• To break apart; to split.
• To burst open; explode; discharge.
• To use a technique of splitting or sawing wood radially from a log (e.g. clapboards).
• To land.

Noun

• A place torn; a rent; a rift.
• A bank or shore.

Related

Similar words

• cleave, rend, split
• rent, rift

Origin

• 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") and Albanian rrip ("belt, rope"). More at rift.
• Compare Latin ripa ("shore")