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rive (v.)

"tear in pieces, strike asunder," c. 1200, from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse rifa "to tear apart" (compare Swedish rifva, Danish rive "scratch, tear"), from PIE root *rei- "to scratch, tear, cut" (see riparian).

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Definitions of rive from WordNet

rive (v.)
tear or be torn violently;
Synonyms: rend / rip / pull
rive (v.)
separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument;
Synonyms: cleave / split
From wordnet.princeton.edu