riven

adj — 2 senses

riven

adj

UK, US /ˈɹɪvən/

Etymology From Middle English riven, past participle of rive (“to rive”). Compare Old Norse rifinn, past participle of Old Norse rífa (“to pick, scratch, rive”).

Torn apart.

Broken into pieces; split asunder.

“She shall be blasted like a riven oak! Drowned in sulphur! Torn by whirlwinds!”1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 68:

Derived terms: rivenness, unriven

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.