rive

See also: Rive and rivé

English

WOTD – 15 March 2009

Pronunciation

• (UK, General American) IPA^(key): /ɹaɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪv

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp-

Proto-Germanic *rīfaną

Old Norse rífabor.

Middle English riven

English rive

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.

Verb

rive (third-person singular simple present rives, present participle riving, simple past rived or rove or rave, past participle riven)

1. (transitive, archaic except in past participle) To tear apart by force; to rend; to split; to cleave.
   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

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

2. (transitive, archaic) To pierce or cleave with a weapon.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “vj”, in Le Morte Darthur, book II:

     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

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1924, Lord Dunsany, chapter III, in The King of Elfland's Daughter, New York: G.P. Puttnam's Sons, page 30:

     And the sword that had visited Earth from so far away smote like the falling of thunderbolts [...] and the runes in Alveric’s far-travelled sword exulted, and roared at the elf-knight; until in the dark of the wood, amongst branches severed from disenchanted trees, with a blow like that of a thunderbolt riving an oak-tree, Alveric slew him.

3. (intransitive) To break apart; to split.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

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

   • 1728, John Woodward, An Attempt towards a Natural History of the Fossils of England:

     Freestone i.e. that rives, splits, and breaks in any direction.

   • 2012, David W. Phillipson, Foundations of an African Civilisation. Aksum & the northern Horn, 1000 BC–AD 1300, Woodbridge, Suffolk: James Currey, page 10:

     To the west, the country descends more gradually to the extensive plains of the Nile Valley but is riven by the rugged valleys of the Takezze and other Nile tributaries.

   • 2021 October 20, Angie Doll explains to Paul Clifton, “We were absolutely at rock bottom...”, in RAIL, number 942, page 34:

     The company was riven by strikes. Years later, the dispute with the RMT union over driver operation of train doors has still not formally been resolved.

   • 2023 September 12, Patrick Wintour, “‘Disastrous beyond comprehension’: 10,000 missing after Libya floods”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 October 2026:

     Oil-rich Libya has been riven by political infighting, corruption and external interference since a 2011 uprising that toppled and later led to the death of the longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

4. (transitive, rare) To burst open; explode; discharge.
   • 1821, William Shakespeare, James Boswell, Richard Farmer, The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare:

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

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

Synonyms

• (to rend asunder): cleave, rend, split

Derived terms

• outrive
• rave hook
• rivel
• riving knife
• torive

Translations

to rend asunder by force

• Bulgarian: разкъсвам (bg) (razkăsvam), разцепвам (bg) (razcepvam)
• Czech: rozštěpit
• German: aufreißen (de)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgàin
• Turkish: yırtmak (tr)

(reflexive) to be split or rent

• Bulgarian: разцепвам се (razcepvam se)
• Czech: rozštěpit se
• German: (etwas) spalten (de)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgàin
• Turkish: (bir şeyi) parçalanmak (tr)

See also

• rip
• rib

Noun

rive (plural rives)

1. A place torn; a rent; a rift.

Synonyms

• (a place torn): rent, rift

Etymology 2

Compare Latin ripa (“shore”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

rive (plural rives)

1. A bank or shore.

Verb

rive

1. To land.

Anagrams

• Irve, iver, vier, vire, Iver

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riːvə/, [ˈʁiːʋə], [ˈʁiːʊ]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hrífa, derived from the verb Old Norse hrífa (“to grip”), from Proto-Germanic *hrībaną (“to grip, snatch”).

Noun

rive c (singular definite riven, plural indefinite river)

1. rake

Declension

Declension of rive

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	rive	riven	river	riverne
genitive	rives	rivens	rivers	rivernes

Derived terms

• riveskaft
• rivetand
• løvrive

Etymology 2

From Old Danish riuæ, from Old Norse rífa, from Proto-Germanic *rīfaną, cognate with Swedish riva, English rive. In the sense, "to rake", it is derived from the noun.

Verb

rive (imperative riv, present river, past rev, past participle n revet, c reven, pl revne)

1. to grate
2. to scratch, tear, rip
3. to rake
4. to sting, scratch
5. to blow, rattle, shake (about the wind)

Conjugation

Conjugation of rive

active passive infinitive rive rives present river rives past rev — imperative riv — participle present rivende past (have / havde / er / var) revet gerund riven

Derived terms

• afrive
• bortrive
• fintrevet
• forreven
• friskrevet
• groftrevet
• henrive
• itureven
• oprevet
• oprive
• oprivende
• overrive
• riv
• rivejern
• rivning
• tilrive
• udrive

See also

• flå
• flænse
• svie
• kradse
• ruske

References

• “rive” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “rive” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Finnish

Etymology

Probably from Swedish drev.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈriʋeˣ/, [ˈriʋe̞(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -iʋe
• Syllabification^(key): ri‧ve
• Hyphenation^(key): ri‧ve

Noun

rive

1. oakum or tow used as stuffing for log buildings

Declension

Inflection of rive (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)
nominative		rive	riveet
genitive		riveen	riveiden riveitten
partitive		rivettä	riveitä
illative		riveeseen	riveisiin riveihin
		singular	plural
nominative		rive	riveet
accusative	nom.	rive	riveet
	gen.	riveen
genitive		riveen	riveiden riveitten
partitive		rivettä	riveitä
inessive		riveessä	riveissä
elative		riveestä	riveistä
illative		riveeseen	riveisiin riveihin
adessive		riveellä	riveillä
ablative		riveeltä	riveiltä
allative		riveelle	riveille
essive		riveenä	riveinä
translative		riveeksi	riveiksi
abessive		riveettä	riveittä
instructive		—	rivein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of rive (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative riveeni riveeni accusative nom. riveeni riveeni gen. riveeni genitive riveeni riveideni riveitteni partitive rivettäni riveitäni inessive riveessäni riveissäni elative riveestäni riveistäni illative riveeseeni riveisiini riveihini adessive riveelläni riveilläni ablative riveeltäni riveiltäni allative riveelleni riveilleni essive riveenäni riveinäni translative riveekseni riveikseni abessive riveettäni riveittäni instructive — — comitative — riveineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative riveesi riveesi accusative nom. riveesi riveesi gen. riveesi genitive riveesi riveidesi riveittesi partitive rivettäsi riveitäsi inessive riveessäsi riveissäsi elative riveestäsi riveistäsi illative riveeseesi riveisiisi riveihisi adessive riveelläsi riveilläsi ablative riveeltäsi riveiltäsi allative riveellesi riveillesi essive riveenäsi riveinäsi translative riveeksesi riveiksesi abessive riveettäsi riveittäsi instructive — — comitative — riveinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative riveemme riveemme accusative nom. riveemme riveemme gen. riveemme genitive riveemme riveidemme riveittemme partitive rivettämme riveitämme inessive riveessämme riveissämme elative riveestämme riveistämme illative riveeseemme riveisiimme riveihimme adessive riveellämme riveillämme ablative riveeltämme riveiltämme allative riveellemme riveillemme essive riveenämme riveinämme translative riveeksemme riveiksemme abessive riveettämme riveittämme instructive — — comitative — riveinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative riveenne riveenne accusative nom. riveenne riveenne gen. riveenne genitive riveenne riveidenne riveittenne partitive rivettänne riveitänne inessive riveessänne riveissänne elative riveestänne riveistänne illative riveeseenne riveisiinne riveihinne adessive riveellänne riveillänne ablative riveeltänne riveiltänne allative riveellenne riveillenne essive riveenänne riveinänne translative riveeksenne riveiksenne abessive riveettänne riveittänne instructive — — comitative — riveinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative riveensä riveensä accusative nom. riveensä riveensä gen. riveensä genitive riveensä riveidensä riveittensä partitive rivettään rivettänsä riveitään riveitänsä inessive riveessään riveessänsä riveissään riveissänsä elative riveestään riveestänsä riveistään riveistänsä illative riveeseensä riveisiinsä riveihinsä adessive riveellään riveellänsä riveillään riveillänsä ablative riveeltään riveeltänsä riveiltään riveiltänsä allative riveelleen riveellensä riveilleen riveillensä essive riveenään riveenänsä riveinään riveinänsä translative riveekseen riveeksensä riveikseen riveiksensä abessive riveettään riveettänsä riveittään riveittänsä instructive — — comitative — riveineen riveinensä

Derived terms

• riverauta
• tervarive

Anagrams

• revi, veri, vire

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, from Latin rīpa, from Proto-Indo-European *rey- (“to cut, tear, scratch”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁiv/

• Audio:

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• Audio (France (Paris)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Hérault)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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Noun

rive f (plural rives)

1. bank (of a river)
2. shore

Related terms

• arriver
• dériver
• rivage
• rivière

Further reading

• “rive”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• ivre, vire, viré

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin rīpa.

Noun

rive f (plural rivis)

1. slope, ascent
2. shore

Related terms

• rivâ
• riviere

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French arriver (“to arrive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣive/

Verb

rive (intransitive)

1. to arrive, to get to
2. to happen

References

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[2], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 170

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈri.ve/
• Rhymes: -ive
• Hyphenation: rì‧ve

Noun

rive f

1. plural of riva

Anagrams

• ervi, veri

Latin

Noun

rīve

1. vocative singular of rīvus

References

• "rive", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hrífa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɾiːʋə/

Noun

rive f or m (definite singular riva or riven, indefinite plural river, definite plural rivene)

1. a rake (garden and agricultural tool)

Etymology 2

From Old Norse rífa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɾiːʋə/

Verb

rive (imperative riv, present tense river, passive rives, simple past rev or reiv, past participle revet, present participle rivende)

1. to grate + av
2. to scratch, tear, rip + av

Derived terms

• løsrive
• rivjern

References

• “rive” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hrífa.

Noun

rive f (definite singular riva, indefinite plural river, definite plural rivene)

1. a rake (garden and agricultural tool)

Etymology 2

Verb

rive (present tense riv, past tense reiv, supine rive, past participle riven, present participle rivande, imperative riv)

1. alternative form of riva

References

• “rive” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.