means a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel toward a sea, lake, or another river

from From Old French 'riviere,' meaning riverbank or river, descended from Latin 'riparia' (the bank or shore), from 'ripa,' a bank or edge. So the word once leaned toward the land beside the water rather than the water itself — possibly a cousin of 'rive,' to tear or split, hinting at how a river cleaves the earth it runs through.