ri.
a violent attack or strong onslaught, especially in battle
Meaning & usage
a violent attack or strong onslaught, especially in battle
a period of hard weather; a bout of bad weather or storm
Det kom ei ny ri med snø og vind.
a sudden bout, fit, attack, or spell of pain, emotion, mood, illness, activity, or similar
Han fikk en ri med latter.
a contraction during childbirth; a labour pain
a sudden epidemic or outbreak of disease
Det gikk en ri med meslinger i bygda.
a sudden spell or period of activity, urge, or drive
a short while, moment, or spell of time
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Old Norse hríð (“attack, assault; bout of bad weather; storm; period of time”), from Proto-Germanic *hrīþō (“sudden onset, attack; seizure, fit; storm”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreyt- (“to wind, twist, bend”), ultimately from *(s)ker- (“to wind, twist, bend”). The development of meaning is from a violent rush or onset to a sudden attack, bout, spell, or short period. Compare Norwegian Nynorsk ri (“bout, fit; period of time”), Icelandic hríð (“storm, snowstorm; bout, fit; period”), Faroese ríð (“snowstorm; spell, period”) and Old English hrīþ (“sudden attack; seizure, fit; storm”).
to tighten a rope, cable, or similar; to lash tightly
Tauet ble ridd fast til stevnen.
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Old Norse riða (“to twist; to bind, tie”), from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). The nautical sense developed from the older meaning “to twist, bind, tie” to “tighten, lash fast”. Compare Norwegian Nynorsk vri (“to twist, turn”), Swedish vrida (“to twist, turn”), Danish vride (“to twist, wring”), Icelandic ríða (“to twist, wind”) and English writhe.
to ride; to sit on the back of a horse or other riding animal and move forward by making it walk, trot, or gallop
Hun lærte å ri da hun var barn.
to cycle; to sit on and ride a bicycle or similar vehicle
to sit or move astride something; to straddle something
Gutten red på gelenderet.
to mount a female animal for mating; to cover
to be the person on top during sexual intercourse, moving astride one's partner; to ride
to sit astride the chest of a sleeping person and cause nightmares or madness
to plague, haunt, or torment someone persistently
Hva er det som rir deg?
Dødsangsten red ham.
to plague, haunt, or torment someone persistently to press upon, trouble, or plague someone
to sail or move upon the sea, waves, or a swell; to ride a wave
to take advantage of, benefit from, or be carried along by something
Partiet red på en popularitetsbølge.
to rage, sweep, or move violently
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Old Norse ríða (“to ride”), from Proto-Germanic *rīdaną (“to ride”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hreydʰ- (“to set in motion, ride”), likely a suffixed form of *h₃reyH- (“to move, churn”). Compare Norwegian Nynorsk ri, ride, Danish ride, Swedish rida, Icelandic ríða, Faroese ríða, German reiten, Dutch rijden and English ride.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.