rife

Etymology

From Middle English rife, from Old English rīfe, rȳfe (“rife, abundant, frequent”), from Proto-Germanic *rībaz (“generous”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to tear (off), rip”). Cognate with West Frisian rju (“rife, much”), Low German rive (“abundant, munificent”), Dutch rijf (“abundant, copious”), Icelandic rífr (“rife, munificent”), Icelandic reifa (“to bestow”).

adj

1. Widespread, common, prevalent, current (mainly of unpleasant or harmful things).
   Smallpox was rife after the siege had been lifted.
   Before the plague of London, inflammations of the lungs were rife and mortal. 1712, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Effects of Air on Human Bodies
   She was afterwards Lady Keith; and the mention of this name in the tale, as it were by mere accident, fixes the era of it in the reign of James the Fourth, at the very time that fairies, brownies, and witches, were at the rifest in Scotland. 1828, James Hogg, Mary Burnet
   The 'denominational considerations' mentioned below relate, of course, to anti-Semitic feeling, which was already rife in Vienna during the last years of the nineteenth century. 1900, Sigmund Freud, translated by James Strachey, The Interpretation of Dreams: Avon Books, page 170
   BRB engineers, it is known, have a warm regard for the Ventura range and speculation is rife that it may feature more widely in future BR dieselisation programmes. 1964 May, R. K. Evans, “The Ventura—Paxman's high-speed engine”, in Modern Railways, page 329
2. Abounding; present in large numbers, plentiful.
   These woodlands are rife with red deer.
   Watermelons are rife with seeds.
3. Full of (mostly unpleasant or harmful things).
   Many post-colonial governments were rife with lawlessness and corruption.
   They will have to reflect on a seventh successive defeat in a European final while Chelsea try to make sense of an eccentric season rife with controversy and bad feeling but once again one finishing on an exhilarating high. 15 May 2013, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian
4. (obsolete) Having power; active; nimble.
   What! I am rife a little yet. 1661, John Webster, William Rowley, A Cure for a Cuckold

adv

1. Plentifully, abundantly.
   The snowdrops grow rife on the slopes of Mount Pembroke.