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rife

adj
/ɹaɪf/UK

Etymology

From Middle English rife, from Old English rīfe, rȳfe (“rife, abundant, frequent”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīb, from Proto-Germanic *rībaz (“generous”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to tear (off), rip”). Cognate with West Frisian rju (“rife, much”), Dutch rijf (“abundant, copious”), Low German rive (“abundant, munificent”), Icelandic rífur (“rife, munificent”), Faroese ríviligur (“plentiful, abundant”), Faroese rívan (“abundantly”), Icelandic reifa (“to bestow”).

  1. derived from *h₁reyp-✻ — “to tear (off), rip”
  2. inherited from *rībaz✻ — “generous”
  3. inherited from *rīb✻
  4. inherited from rīfe
  5. inherited from rife

Definitions

  1. Widespread, common, prevalent, current (mainly of unpleasant or harmful things).

    • Smallpox was rife after the siege had been lifted.
    • Rumors were rife that the factory was about to shut down.
    • Before the plague of London, inflammations of the lungs were rife and mortal.

  2. Abounding

    Abounding; present in large numbers, plentiful.

    • Red deer are rife in these woodlands.
    • Seeds are rife in a watermelon.

  3. Full of (mostly unpleasant or harmful things).

    • Many post-colonial governments were rife with lawlessness and corruption.
    • They will have to reflect on a seventh successive defeat in a European final while Chelsea try to make sense of an eccentric season rife with controversy and bad feeling but once again one finishing on an exhilarating high.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. Having power

      Having power; active; nimble.

      • What! I am rife a little yet.

    2. Plentifully, abundantly.

      • The snowdrops grow rife on the slopes of Mount Pembroke.

The neighborhood

Derived

overrife, rifely, rifeness, unrife

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for rife. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA