Rival

[Slava]

As it's almost Valentine's Day, here's an important word to keep in mind.

From onelook.com:

noun: the contestant you hope to defeat ("He had respect for his rivals")
▸ verb: be the rival of, be in competition with ("We are rivaling for first place in the race")
▸ verb: be equal to in quality or ability ("Nothing can rival cotton for durability")

It comes from the Latin for river, and originally referred to those using the same stream, one on each side.

[skinem]

Interesting origin--using the same river.
Growing up out west where water can be a premium and water rights are an important piece of deeds, I can see how the word denotes competition and conflict.
It's funny, I've been off of my dad's place since I was 17 (over 30+ years ago) and I can still remember our acre-feet numbers and output of each well on his place. It was important.

Thanks!