Where does “ripe” come from?

Ripe comes from Middle English ripe, from Latin ripa meaning bank or shore, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reyp-, with intermediary forms in Proto-Germanic rīpijaz and Proto-Indo-European rey-.

ripe (English): Ready for reaping or gathering; having attained...

Definitions

  1. Ready for reaping or gathering; having attained...

Ancestry of “ripe”, step by step

ripe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English rife

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrifeWidespread, common, prevalent, current;...
2Middle Englishrife—
3Old Englishrīfe—
4Proto-Germanicrībazgenerous; abundant
5Proto-Indo-Europeanreyp-to tear , rip

via Middle English ripe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishripe—
2Old Englishrīperipe, mature
3Proto-West Germanicrīpīripe
4Proto-Germanicrīpijaz—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁reyb-to snatch

Words derived from “ripe”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European reyp- →
ripe — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer