The term “rival” has an interesting etymology. In fifteenth-century English, it was used to refer to a “shore” or “bank”, originating from the Old French word “rivaille”, which in turn comes from the Latin noun “rivus”, meaning “small stream”. The current meaning of “rival” evolved from the Latin “rivalis”, originally signifying a “person who fishes alongside another person”. This concept of friendly companionship eventually transformed into a competitive relationship, leading to the term being used to describe individuals competing in various fields by the 1570s. The root of “rivus” can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European word “her”, meaning “to move” or “stir”. The modern usage of the word “rival” as a verb dates back to around 1600, with the adjective form emerging in the 1580s. Interestingly, the popularity of using “rival” has been on a decline since its peak in 1780.
