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Origin and history of *rei-

*rei-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to flow, run."

It might form all or part of: derive; ember-days; rennet (n.1); Rhine; rialto; rill; rio; rival; rivulet; run; runnel.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit rinati "causes to flow," ritih "stream, course;" Latin rivus "stream;" Old Church Slavonic reka "river;" Middle Irish rian "river, way;" Gothic rinnan "run, flow," rinno "brook;" Middle Low German ride "brook;" Old English riþ "stream;" Old English rinnan, Old Norse rinna "to run," Dutch ril "running stream."

Entries linking to *rei-

derive(v.)

late 14c., "descend from," from Old French deriver "to flow, pour out; derive, originate," from Latin derivare "to lead or draw off (a stream of water) from its source" (in Late Latin also "to derive"), from phrase de rivo (de "from" + rivus "stream," from PIE root *rei- "to run, flow").

From c. 1500 as "obtain by a process of reasoning." In reference to words, "arise by a process of word-formation," 1550s; meaning "trace or show derivation" is from c. 1600. General sense of "get, gain, obtain" (as from a source or origin) is from 1560s; that of "arise, spring" (from) a source or origin is from 1660s. Related: Derived; deriving.

ember-days(n.)

Old English Ymbrendaeg, Ymbren, 12 days of the year (divided into four seasonal periods, hence Medieval Latin name quatuor tempora) set aside by the Church for fasting and prayers, from Old English ymbren "recurring," corruption of ymbryne "a circuit, revolution, course, anniversary," literally "a running around," from ymb "round" (from Proto-Germanic umbi, from PIE root *ambhi- "around") + ryne "course, running" (from PIE root *rei- "to run, flow"). Perhaps influenced by a corruption of the Latin name (compare German quatember, Danish tamper-dage). The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, Whit-Sunday, Sept. 14, and Dec. 13, set aside for prayer and fasting.

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rennet
"inner membrane in the stomach of an unweaned calf or other animal," used for making cheese, etc.; also the mass of curdled milk found in the stomach, mid-15c., probably from an unrecorded Old English *rynet, related to gerennan "cause to run together," because it makes milk run
rival
1570s, "one who is in pursuit of the same object as another;" 1640s, "one who emulates or strives to equal or exceed another" in some way; from Latin rivalis "a rival, adversary in love; neighbor," originally, "of the same brook," from rivus "brook" (from PIE root *rei- "to run,
run
Old English, "move swiftly by using the legs, go on legs more rapidly than walking," also "make haste, hurry; be active, pursue or follow a course," and, of inanimate things, "to move over a course." The modern verb is a merger of two related Old English words, in both of which t
rife
Swedish river, Norwegian riv, Middle Dutch riif, Middle Low German rive "abundant, generous"), said to be from PIE root *rei...
riparian
indicating the drop off from ground level to the stream bed), or else "that which is cut out by the river," from PIE root *rei...
row
"to thread," riga "line;" German Reihe "row, line, series;" Old Norse rega "string"), which is possibly from PIE root *rei...
state
(late 13c.), from Latin phrases such as status rei publicæ "condition (or existence) of the republic."...
act
late 14c., "a thing done," from Latin actus "a doing; a driving, impulse, a setting in motion; a part in a play," and actum "a thing done" (originally a legal term), both from agere "to set in motion, drive, drive forward," hence "to do, perform," figuratively "incite to action;
literature
early 15c., "book-learning," from Latin literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with letters," from litera/littera "alphabetic letter" also "an epistle, writing, document; literature, great books; science, learning" (see letter (n.1)). In
Prussia
region in northeastern Germany, late 14c., Prusse (late 13c. as a surname), from Medieval Latin Borussi, Prusi, Latinized forms of the native name of the Lithuanian people who lived in the bend of the Baltic before being conquered 12c. and exterminated by (mostly) German crusader

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