Where does “River” come from?
River derives from English rive, Chinese 兒, Old French -er, Latin -are, Latin -are, Latin -arius, and Latin riparius, meaning one associated with a bank or shore.
River (English): A place name
Definitions
- A place name
Ancestry of “River”, step by step
River traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English ryver
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ryver | A river; A large flow, jet or emission of fluid;... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | riviere | — |
| 3 | Latin | rīpāria | littoral, riverbank |
| 4 | Latin | rīpārius | that inhabits the banks of rivers; riparian |
| 5 | Latin | rīpa | bank (of a river) |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | reipā | river bank |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁réyp-eh₂ | — |