What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Rift vs Rive - What's the difference?

rift | rive |

As nouns the difference between rift and rive

is that rift is a chasm or fissure while rive is a place torn; a rent; a rift.

As verbs the difference between rift and rive

is that rift is to form a or rift can be to belch or rift can be (obsolete) while rive is to tear apart by force; to split; to cleave.

rift

English

(wikipedia rift)

Etymology 1

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish/Norwegian '' 'breach', Old Norse ''rífa 'to tear'. More at rive.

Noun

(en noun)
  • A chasm or fissure.
  • My marriage is in trouble, the fight created a rift between us and we can't reconnect.
    The Grand Canyon is a rift in the Earth's surface, but is smaller than some of the undersea ones.
  • A break in the clouds, fog, mist etc., which allows light through.
  • * 1931 , William Faulkner, Sanctuary , Vintage 1993, page 130:
  • I have but one rift in the darkness, that is that I have injured no one save myself by my folly, and that the extent of that folly you will never learn.
  • A shallow place in a stream; a ford.
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To form a .
  • To cleave; to rive; to split.
  • to rift an oak
  • * Wordsworth
  • To dwell these rifted rocks between.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) rypta.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To belch.
  • Etymology 3

    Verb

    (head)
  • (Spenser)

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    rive

    English

    Verb

  • To tear apart by force; to split; to cleave.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds / Have rived the knotty oaks
  • To pierce or cleave with a weapon.
  • * :
  • And therwith she toke the swerd from her loue that lay ded and fylle to the ground in a swowne / And whan she aroos she made grete dole out of mesure / the whiche sorowe greued Balyn passyngly sore / and he wente vnto her for to haue taken the swerd oute of her h?d butsodenly she sette the pomell to the ground / and rofe her self thorow the body
  • (label) To break apart; to split.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queen) , II.vi:
  • The varlet at his plaint was grieu'd so sore, / That his deepe wounded hart in two did riue .
  • * (1665-1728)
  • Freestone rives , splits, and breaks in any direction.
  • In woodworking, to use a technique of splitting or sawing wood radially from a log (e.g. clapboards).
  • Synonyms

    * (to rend asunder) cleave, rend, split

    See also

    * rip * rib

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A place torn; a rent; a rift.
  • Synonyms

    * (a place torn) rent, rift ----