Where does “riven” come from?

Riven comes from the past participle of Old English rive, from Old Norse rífa meaning to tear or rend, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (e)reip-.

riven (English): past participle of rive; Torn apart; Broken into...

Definitions

  1. past participle of rive; Torn apart; Broken into...

Ancestry of “riven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrivento rive
2Old Norserífato tear apart; to tear, break; to pick, scratch,...
3Proto-Germanicrīfanąto tear, rend
4Proto-Indo-Europeanrēy-thing; possession; to regulate, count; to count,...

Words derived from “riven”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European rēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic rīfaną →Every word from Old Norse rífa →