English
contrive
Contrive comes from Old French controver, from trover ‘to find’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *trep- ‘to turn’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trep-1‘to turn’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρέπω2‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρόπος3‘a turn, way, manner, style, a trope or figure of speech, a mode in music’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtropus4‘figurative use of a word’uncertain
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tropāre5‘find’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400trover6‘to find’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400controver6
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500contreve6‘to invent’
- Englishearliest quotation 1813contrive6
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τρέπω, which cites Beekes
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τρόπος
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin tropus
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin tropare
- 5 Wiktionary, Old French trover
- 6 Wiktionary, English contrive
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice: […]: “[…]I cannot bear the idea of two young women…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trep-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τρέπω, which cites Beekes‘to turn’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρέπωWiktionary, Ancient Greek τρόπος‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρόποςWiktionary, Latin tropus‘a turn, way, manner, style, a trope or figure of speech, a mode in music’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtropusWiktionary, Latin tropare‘figurative use of a word’uncertain
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tropāreWiktionary, Old French trover‘find’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400troverWiktionary, English contrive‘to find’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400controverWiktionary, English contrive
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500contreveWiktionary, English contrive‘to invent’
- Englishearliest quotation 1813contriveWiktionary, English contrive. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice: […]: “[…]I cannot bear the idea of two young women…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *trep- ‘to turn’
thrive, intrepid, trepidation, turpitude, 28 more
through Ancient Greek τρέπω ‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’
through Latin tropus ‘figurative use of a word’
through Vulgar Latin *tropāre ‘find’
through Old French trover ‘to find’
Today it means
verb To invent by an exercise of ingeniosity; to devise
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “contrive”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek τρέπω, Ancient Greek τρόπος, Latin tropus, Latin tropare, Old French trover. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *trep- / contrive