Etymology

thrive

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Today it means: To grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously or luxuriantly; to enjoy a state of excellent health and well-being; to flourish. Full definition →

Middle English thryven ← Old Norse þrífa ← Proto-Germanic *þrībaną
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*trep-
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*þrībaną“to seize, prosper”
  3. Old Norse · derived fromþrífa“to seize, grasp, take hold, prosper”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromthryven
  5. English todaythrive

From Middle English thryven, thriven, from Old Norse þrífa (“to seize, grasp, take hold, prosper”), from Proto-Germanic *þrībaną (“to seize, prosper”), from Proto-Indo-European *trep-, *terp- (“to satisfy, enjoy”). Cognate with Swedish trivas, Danish trives, Norwegian Bokmål trives.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*trep- all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.