Rive

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹaɪv/

Definitions

1. To forcefully divide or break apart an object into distinct sections or pieces through intense effort or energy
2. To cause something to break by applying great force so that it separates into parts
3. To sever or cleave something violently, resulting in a jagged or uneven break

Etymology: Rive is a rough-edged verb: to split something apart with force so that the break is jagged rather than clean. It came into English from Norse. Middle English had "riven," the past participle, which was borrowed from Old Norse "rífa," meaning "to rend" or "tear apart," and the verb followed. Its ancestor reaches back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to crumble, tear." The same root spread through the Germanic languages, and its relatives still carry the sense of tearing. Danish and Swedish "rive" and "riva" both mean "to tear," and the Old Norse "ript" survives in the English "rift," a split or breach. Albanian "rrip," meaning "belt" or "rope," is a more distant cousin. Latin "ripa," meaning "shore" or "bank," is sometimes compared with the word, though the link is uncertain and it is not a confirmed relative.

Synonyms: split, tear, rend

Antonyms: join, unite