rife etymology

Etymology

The word "rife" comes from the Middle English word "rife," which in turn comes from the Old English word "rīf," meaning "prevalent" or "widespread."

Meaning

1. Prevalent or widespread:

• "Warnings about the dangers of texting while driving are rife."
• "The crime rate in the city was rife."

2. Abundant or plentiful:

• "The forest was rife with wildlife."
• "The library was rife with rare books."

Origin

The word "rife" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*rei-," which means "to tear" or "to split." This root is also the origin of the words "rift" and "ripe."

The original sense of "rife" was "torn" or "split," but it later came to mean "prevalent" or "widespread," perhaps because a tear or split can be a sign of something that is becoming more common.

Other Forms

• rife·ly (adverb)
• rife·ness (noun)

rife relate terms

• prevailing

  Etymology The word prevailing comes from the Old French word prevaloir meaning to

• prevalent

  Etymology of Prevalent Late Middle English via Anglo Norman French from Latin praeva

• predominant

  Etymology Origin Latin Root prae before dominari to dominate Meaning Exis

• dominant

  Etymology Late Middle English from Old French dominant present participle of dominer

• river

  Etymology The word river comes from the Latin word rivus meaning brook or stream

• trespass

  Etymology of Trespass The word trespass originated from the Old French term trespas

• Abyssinia

  Etymology The term Abyssinia is derived from the Arabic word Al Habash which refers

• diamond

  Etymology The word diamond comes from the Greek word adámas meaning unconquerable

• Mississippi

  Etymology The name Mississippi is derived from two Algonquian words Misi pronounce