Etymology

rift

R1I1F4T1

Today it means: A chasm or fissure. Full definition →

Middle English rift ← North Germanic
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rift · noun, verb1

  1. North Germanic · derived from
  2. Middle English · inherited fromrift
  3. English todayrift

From Middle English rift, of North Germanic origin; akin to Danish rift, Norwegian Bokmål rift (“breach”), Old Norse rífa (“to tear”). More at rive.

rift · verb2

  1. Old Norse · derived fromrypta
  2. English todayrift

From Old Norse rypta.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.