contrive

The story

1. Old French · derived fromcontrover
2. Middle English · inherited fromcontrive
3. English todaycontrive

From Middle English contrive (15th c.), an alteration of contreve(n), controve(n) (“to invent”, 14th c.), from Old French controver, derived from trover (“to find”). Cognate with Modern French controuver. The Middle English form with -e- reflects the Old French tonic stem (il contrueve), but the shift to -i- seems to be unclear. The regular vocalism has been preserved in retrieve (for which in Middle English also retrive).