Rides

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹaɪdz/

Definitions

1. Travels or journeys taken in a car, bicycle, or animal ; brief pleasurable outings often for entertainment or socializing ; the act of using or controlling a vehicle for transportation
2. Trips made while seated on a mode of transport or animal ; short excursions meant for fun or relaxation ; exercising control over a vehicle during travel
3. The experience of being carried or driven in a conveyance or on horseback ; enjoying a temporary trip for amusement ; operating or managing a vehicle while moving

Etymology: "Rides" is simply the third-person singular form of "ride," so the story is really the verb's. Its ancestor is Old English "rīdan," which sits in a family of Germanic cousins that all mean the same thing: German "reiten," Dutch "rijden," Swedish "rida," and Icelandic "ríða." That shared inheritance shows the verb was already firmly rooted in the early Germanic languages, long before English was written down. The surprise lies further back. The Proto-Indo-European root behind it, reconstructed as "*h₃reyH-," meant "to move" or "to stir," not specifically to sit on a horse. Its relatives spread far and wide: Latin "irrītō," meaning "to excite or stimulate," Ancient Greek "orīnō," meaning "to move or stir," and Russian "réjatʹ," meaning "to soar or hover." Riding, in other words, began as a general idea of motion, and only later narrowed to the image of a rider on an animal.

Synonyms: drives, travels, journeys

Antonyms: walks, stays