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rifeness

 - 2 dictionary results

rife

  [rahyf]
–adjective
1. of common or frequent occurrence; prevalent; in widespread existence, activity, or use: Crime is rife in the slum areas of our cities.
2. current in speech or report: Rumors are rife that the government is in financial difficulty.
3. abundant, plentiful, or numerous.
4. abounding (usually fol. by with).
Use rifeness in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1150; ME; OE rīfe; c. MD rijf abundant, ON rīfr

Related forms:
rifely, adverb
rifeness, noun

Synonyms:
3. plenteous, multitudinous; teeming, swarming.

Antonyms:
3. scarce.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Word Origin & History

rife 
O.E. rife "abundant." Related to O.N. rifr (Swed. river, Norw. riv), M.Du. riif, M.L.G. rive "abundant, generous." "The prevalence of the word in early southern texts is in favour of its being native in English, rather than an adoption from Scandinavian." [OED]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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