Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Riviera” come from?

Riviera comes from Italian riviera, from Old French riviere, from Vulgar Latin riparia, from Latin riparius, derived from Latin ripa meaning "riverbank," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁reyp-.

Ancestry of “Riviera”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianrivieracoast
2Old Frenchriviereriver
3Latinrīpāria—
4Latinrīpārius—
5Latinrīpa—
6Proto-Italicreipā—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁réyp-eh₂—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁réyp-eh₂ →