rivet

rivet · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromripa“riverbank”
2. Old French · derived fromrive“rim, edge”
3. Old French · derived fromriver“to fetter [a person]”
4. Old French · derived fromrivet
5. English todayrivet

From Old French rivet (13th century), from the verb Old French river (“to fetter [a person]”) (12th century), from Old French rive (“rim, edge”) (ca. 1100), which is ultimately from Latin ripa (“riverbank”). Compare river, rival, riparian. The sense "kind of footman's armour" is apparently a back-formation from almain rivet, which is apparently derived from the English noun; see that entry for more.

Rivet · proper noun²

1. French · borrowed fromRivet
2. English todayRivet

Borrowed from French Rivet.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 15th c. To attach or fasten parts by using rivets.
• from c. 1600 To command the attention of.