Where does “striven” come from?
Striven comes from Middle English striven, from Old French estriver, derived from Old French estrif meaning conflict, which traces to Frankish strīban and strīd, ultimately from Proto-Germanic strīdō and Proto-Indo-European ster-.
striven (English): past participle of strive
Definitions
- past participle of strive
Ancestry of “striven”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | strive | To try to achieve a result; to make strenuous... |
| 2 | Middle English | striven | to strive |
| 3 | Old French | estriver | to compete; to argue; to dispute; to get into an... |
| 4 | Frankish | strīban | to exert, to make an effort |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | strībaną | to be stiff; stiffen; to exert; make an effort |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | streybʰ- | to be stiff |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |