English word origin

Etymology of rift

From Middle English rift, of North Germanic origin; akin to Danish rift, Norwegian Bokmål rift (“breach”), Old Norse rífa (“to tear”). More at rive.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A chasm or fissure. · A lack of cohesion; a state of conflict, incompatibility, or emotional distance. · A break in the clouds, fog, mist etc., which allows light through. · A shallow place in a stream; a ford.

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

From Middle English rift, of North Germanic origin; akin to Danish rift, Norwegian Bokmål rift (“breach”), Old Norse rífa (“to tear”). More at rive.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionriftenm
Cognate mentionriftda
Cognate mentionriftnb · breach
Cognate mentionrífanon · to tear

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rift"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rift"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "rift"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish rift"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "rift",
        "t": "breach"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål rift (“breach”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "non",
        "2": "rífa",
        "t": "to tear"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse rífa (“to tear”)"
    }
  ],
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      "rift#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rift",
      "rift#Danish"
    ],
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      "rift",
      "rift#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "rífa",
      "rífa#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "rive",
      "rive#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "word": "rifte",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A chasm or fissure.",
        "A lack of cohesion; a state of conflict, incompatibility, or emotional distance.",
        "A break in the clouds, fog, mist etc., which allows light through.",
        "A shallow place in a stream; a ford."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To form a rift; to split open. · To cleave; to rive; to split.

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

From Middle English rift, of North Germanic origin; akin to Danish rift, Norwegian Bokmål rift (“breach”), Old Norse rífa (“to tear”). More at rive.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionriftenm
Cognate mentionriftda
Cognate mentionriftnb · breach
Cognate mentionrífanon · to tear

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "rift"
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      "expansion": "Middle English rift"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "rift"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish rift"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "rift",
        "t": "breach"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "rífa",
        "t": "to tear"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse rífa (“to tear”)"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "rift",
      "rift#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rift",
      "rift#Danish"
    ],
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      "rift",
      "rift#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "rífa",
      "rífa#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "rive",
      "rive#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To form a rift; to split open.",
        "To cleave; to rive; to split."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To belch.

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

From Old Norse rypta.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionryptanon

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    }
  ],
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    [
      "rypta",
      "rypta#Old_Norse"
    ]
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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 rift →

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-cmlmdA