Vie

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /vaɪ/

Definitions

1. To participate in intense competition with others aimed at achieving a particular goal while seeking an edge or acknowledgment
2. To strive against others with great effort to obtain a desired outcome
3. To engage in a contest where multiple parties attempt to outperform each other

Etymology: The verb "vie" comes from the Middle English "vien," which was borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French "envier," meaning "to challenge" or "to invite." The Old French word traces back to Latin "invitare," the same root that gives English "invite." So the modern sense of rivalry began as a kind of formal challenge: to invite someone into a contest. The idea of contest is the surprising core of the word. Its earliest uses carried the notion of putting a wager or staking something against another party, and the sense of competing for an advantage gradually came to dominate. Over time the word's meaning narrowed from issuing a challenge to the active, sustained effort of striving against rivals for a prize.

Synonyms: strive, contend, compete, battle, contest

Antonyms: yield, submit, relinquish, surrender, give up