River

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: riv=er

CIDE DICTIONARY

River, n. 

 One who rives or splits.  [1913 Webster]

River, n. [F. rivère a river, LL. riparia river, bank of a river, fr. L. riparius belonging to a bank or shore, fr. ripa a bank or shore; of uncertain origin. Cf. Arrive, Riparian.].

•  A large stream of water flowing in a bed or channel and emptying into the ocean, a sea, a lake, or another stream; a stream larger than a rivulet or brook.  [1913 Webster]

  "Transparent and sparkling rivers, from which it is delightful to drink as they flow."  [1913 Webster]
•  Fig.: A large stream; copious flow; abundance; as, rivers of blood; rivers of oil.  [1913 Webster]

River chub (Zoöl.), the hornyhead and allied species of fresh-water fishes. -- River crab (Zoöl.), any species of fresh-water crabs of the genus Thelphusa, as Thelphusa depressa of Southern Europe. -- River dragon, a crocodile; -- applied by Milton to the king of Egypt. -- River driver, a lumberman who drives or conducts logs down rivers. Bartlett. -- River duck (Zoöl.), any species of duck belonging to Anas, Spatula, and allied genera, in which the hind toe is destitute of a membranous lobe, as in the mallard and pintail; -- opposed to sea duck. -- River god, a deity supposed to preside over a river as its tutelary divinity. -- River herring (Zoöl.), an alewife. -- River hog. (Zoöl.) (a) Any species of African wild hogs of the genus Potamoch. They frequent wet places along the rivers. (b) The capybara. -- River horse (Zoöl.), the hippopotamus. -- River jack (Zoöl.), an African puff adder (Clotho nasicornis) having a spine on the nose. -- River limpet (Zoöl.), a fresh-water, air-breathing mollusk of the genus Ancylus, having a limpet-shaped shell. -- River pirate (Zoöl.), the pike. -- River snail (Zoöl.), any species of fresh-water gastropods of Paludina, Melontho, and allied genera. See Pond snail, under Pond. -- River tortoise (Zoöl.), any one of numerous fresh-water tortoises inhabiting rivers, especially those of the genus Trionyx and allied genera. See Trionyx.

River, v. i. 

 To hawk by the side of a river; to fly hawks at river fowl.  Halliwell.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

River, n.
1 a copious natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea or a lake etc.
2 a copious flow (a river of lava; rivers of blood).
3 (attrib.) (in the names of animals, plants, etc.) living in or associated with the river.

Idiom

river blindness a tropical disease of the skin caused by a parasitic worm, the larvae of which can migrate into the eye and cause blindness. river capture the diversion of the upper headwaters of a mountain stream into a more powerful one. sell down the river colloq. betray or let down.

Derivative

rivered adj. (also in comb.). riverless adj.

Etymology

ME f. AF river, rivere, OF riviere river or river-bank ult. f. L riparius f. ripa bank

THESAURUS

River

Niagara, adolescent stream, arroyo, beck, bourn, braided stream, branch, brook, brooklet, burn, cascade, cataract, channel, creek, crick, deluge, estuary, flood, flow, flowing stream, fluviation, fresh, freshet, gill, kill, lazy stream, meandering stream, midchannel, midstream, millstream, moving road, navigable river, pour, quantity, race, racing stream, rill, rivulet, run, rundle, runlet, runnel, sike, spate, spill stream, stream, stream action, streamlet, subterranean river, torrent, tributary, wadi, watercourse, waterflood, waterway

ROGET THESAURUS

River

River

N river, running water, jet, spirt, spurt, squirt, spout, spray, splash, rush, gush, jet d'eau, sluice, water spout, water fall, cascade, force, foss, lin, linn, ghyll, Niagara, cataract, rapids, white water, catadupe, cataclysm, debacle, inundation, deluge, chute, washout, rain, rainfall, serein, shower, scud, downpour, driving rain, drenching rain, cloudburst, hyetology, hyetography, predominance of Aquarius, reign of St. Swithin, mizzle, drizzle, stillicidum, plash, dropping, falling weather, northeaster, hurricane, typhoon, stream, course, flux, flow, profluence, effluence, defluxion, flowing, current, tide, race, coulee, spring, artesian well, fount, fountain, rill, rivulet, gill, gullet, rillet, streamlet, brooklet, branch, runnel, sike, burn, beck, creek, brook, bayou, stream, river, reach, tributary, geyser, spout, waterspout, body of water, torrent, rapids, flush, flood, swash, spring tide, high tide, full tide, bore, tidal bore, eagre, hygre, fresh, freshet, indraught, reflux, undercurrent, eddy, vortex, gurge, whirlpool, Maelstrom, regurgitation, overflow, confluence, corrivation, wave, billow, surge, swell, ripple, anerythmon gelasma, beach comber, riffle, rollers, ground swell, surf, breakers, white horses, whitecaps, rough sea, heavy sea, high seas, cross sea, long sea, short sea, chopping sea, hydrodynamics, hydraulics, hydraulicostatics, rain gauge, flowmeter, pegology, irrigation, pump, watering pot, watering cart, hydrant, syringe, garden hose, lawn spray, bhisti, mussuk, fluent, diffluent, profluent, affluent, tidal, flowing, meandering, meandry, meandrous, fluvial, fluviatile, streamy, showery, rainy, pluvial, stillicidous, stillatitious, for men may come and men may go but I go on foreve, that old man river, he just keeps rolling along, river, running water, jet, spirt, spurt, squirt, spout, spray, splash, rush, gush, jet d'eau, sluice, water spout, water fall, cascade, force, foss, lin, linn, ghyll, Niagara, cataract, rapids, white water, catadupe, cataclysm, debacle, inundation, deluge, chute, washout, rain, rainfall, serein, shower, scud, downpour, driving rain, drenching rain, cloudburst, hyetology, hyetography, predominance of Aquarius, reign of St. Swithin, mizzle, drizzle, stillicidum, plash, dropping, falling weather, northeaster, hurricane, typhoon, stream, course, flux, flow, profluence, effluence, defluxion, flowing, current, tide, race, coulee, spring, artesian well, fount, fountain, rill, rivulet, gill, gullet, rillet, streamlet, brooklet, branch, runnel, sike, burn, beck, creek, brook, bayou, stream, river, reach, tributary, geyser, spout, waterspout, body of water, torrent, rapids, flush, flood, swash, spring tide, high tide, full tide, bore, tidal bore, eagre, hygre, fresh, freshet, indraught, reflux, undercurrent, eddy, vortex, gurge, whirlpool, Maelstrom, regurgitation, overflow, confluence, corrivation, wave, billow, surge, swell, ripple, anerythmon gelasma, beach comber, riffle, rollers, ground swell, surf, breakers, white horses, whitecaps, rough sea, heavy sea, high seas, cross sea, long sea, short sea, chopping sea, hydrodynamics, hydraulics, hydraulicostatics, rain gauge, flowmeter, pegology, irrigation, pump, watering pot, watering cart, hydrant, syringe, garden hose, lawn spray, bhisti, mussuk, fluent, diffluent, profluent, affluent, tidal, flowing, meandering, meandry, meandrous, fluvial, fluviatile, streamy, showery, rainy, pluvial, stillicidous, stillatitious, for men may come and men may go but I go on foreve, that old man river, he just keeps rolling along.