*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rith

From Middle English rīth (“a small stream”), rithe, from Old English rīþ m (“a small stream”), rīþe f, from Proto-West Germanic *rīþ, from Proto-Germanic *rīþaz, *rīþǭ (“stream, beck, brook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A small stream or channel.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English rīth (“a small stream”), rithe, from Old English rīþ m (“a small stream”), rīþe f, from Proto-West Germanic *rīþ, from Proto-Germanic *rīþaz, *rīþǭ (“stream, beck, brook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to arise, arise”). Cognate with Old Frisian rīth, rīd (“stream, beck”), Old Saxon rīth (“stream, torrent”) (> Middle Low German rîde), Old Dutch rīth (“stream, beck”), German -reide (“stream”, in placenames).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionrīthenm
  • Inherited-form mentionrīþang
  • Inherited-form mention*rīþgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*rīþazgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*h₁rey-ine-pro · to arise, arise
  • Cognate mentionrīthofs
  • Cognate mentionrīthosx · stream, torrent
  • Cognate mentionrîdegml
  • Cognate mentionrīthodt · stream, beck
  • Cognate mention-reidede · stream
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rīth",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a small stream"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rīth (“a small stream”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "rīþ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a small stream",
        "g": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rīþ m (“a small stream”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*rīþ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *rīþ"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*rīþaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *rīþaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁rey-",
        "t": "to arise, arise"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to arise, arise”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ofs",
        "2": "rīth"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Frisian rīth"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "osx",
        "2": "rīth",
        "t": "stream, torrent"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon rīth (“stream, torrent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "rîde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German rîde"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "odt",
        "2": "rīth",
        "t": "stream, beck"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Dutch rīth (“stream, beck”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-reide",
        "t": "stream",
        "pos": "in placenames"
      },
      "expansion": "German -reide (“stream”, in placenames)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rīth",
      "rith#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rithe",
      "rithe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rīþ",
      "riþ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "rīþe",
      "riþe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*rīþ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/rīþ"
    ],
    [
      "*rīþaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīþaz"
    ],
    [
      "*rīþǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīþǭ"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁rey-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁rey-"
    ],
    [
      "rīth",
      "rith#Old_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "rīd",
      "rid#Old_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "rīth",
      "rith#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "rîde",
      "ride#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "rīth",
      "rith#Old_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "-reide",
      "-reide#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small stream or channel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "b1b449a13121606c2bb6fc9e1c0ab21bc2b127c3e5fc77e4575ec9d890b1a987",
      "rawRecordSha256": "29b23fd410590799e741a605aa20e0f4b43f8ea8853ca09da272b062fbebcffc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 283935
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rith →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cml0aA