1100-1200 Past participle of rive ‘to split’(12-21 centuries), from Old Norserifa
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Somalia's south remains riven by tribal feuds.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
There were many paths leading west but they must take the one which was marked by a riven oak.
1if a group of people are riven, they are divided by disagreements, especially in a violent wayriven by/with a community riven by religious differences2if an object is riven, it is divided into two or more parts