Where does “river” come from?

river (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål rive, from Old Norse rífa, from Proto-Germanic rīfaną, from Proto-Indo-European rēy- — thing; possession; to regulate, count; to count,...

river (Norwegian Bokmål): indefinite plural of rive; present of rive

Definitions

  1. indefinite plural of rive; present of rive

Ancestry of “river”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålrivea rake; to grate + av; to scratch, tear, rip + av
2Old Norserífato tear apart; to tear, break; to pick, scratch,...
3Proto-Germanicrīfanąto tear, rend
4Proto-Indo-Europeanrēy-thing; possession; to regulate, count; to count,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European rēy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic rīfaną →Every word from Old Norse rífa →