Etymology

river

riv·er
R1I1V4E1R1

Today it means: A large and often winding stream which drains a land mass, carrying water down from higher areas to a lower point, oftentimes ending in another body of water, such as an ocean or in an inland sea. Full definition →

Middle English ryver ← Anglo-Norman riviere ← Early Medieval Latin rīpāria
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river · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁reyp-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁réyp-eh₂
  3. Proto-Italic*reipā
  4. Latinrīpa
  5. Latinrīpārius
  6. Early Medieval Latinrīpāria
  7. Anglo-Normanriviere
  8. Middle Englishryver
  9. English todayriver

From Middle English ryver, from Anglo-Norman rivere, from Early Medieval Latin rīpāria (“littoral, riverbank”), from Latin rīpārius (“of a riverbank”), from Latin rīpa (“river bank”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to scratch, tear, cut”). Unrelated to Latin rīvus (“stream”) (whence rival, derive). Doublet of riviera and rivière. Largely displaced native English ea.

river · noun2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁reyp-
  2. Proto-Germanic*rīfaną
  3. Old Norserífa
  4. Middle Englishriven
  5. Englishrive
  6. English todayriver

From rive + -er.

River · proper noun3

From river.

Words from the same roots

Latinrīpārius all →

rivierariparianriparious

Latinrīpa all →

riperivetRipuarian

Proto-Indo-European*h₁reyp- all →

riferive

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.