Wordwyrt

contrive

/kəntˈɹaɪv/kuhn-TRYV
/kəntˈɹaɪv/kuhn-TRYV

Meaningto find

Common meaning: devise cleverly

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√TARK‘twist, turn round, torture, press’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 135, p. 734 · scan
  2. Old Frenchtrover‘to find’source
  3. Old Frenchcontrover‘to find out’source
  4. Middle Englishcontrovensource
  5. Englishmeaning shiftsto find out → devise cleverlycontrive‘devise cleverly’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old French trover ‘to find’.

Roots

  • trover Old French “to find”

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