# rive

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɹaɪv/ · frequency rank #57,024

## Definitions
1. To tear apart by force; to rend; to split; to cleave.
2. To pierce or cleave with a weapon.
3. To break apart; to split.
4. To burst open; explode; discharge.
5. To use a technique of splitting or sawing wood radially from a log (e.g. clapboards).

## Etymology
From Middle English riven (“to rive”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse rífa (“to rend, tear apart”), from Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (“to tear, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to crumble, tear”).
Cognate with Danish rive (“to tear”), Old Frisian rīva (“to tear”), Old English ārǣfan (“to let loose, unwrap”), Old Norse ript (“breach of contract, rift”), Norwegian Bokmål rive (“to tear”), Swedish riva (”to tear”) and Albanian rrip (“belt, rope”). More at rift.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rive