Competitions or conflicts between people or groups trying to outdo each other, often with hostile feelings.
From Latin 'rivalis' (person using the same river), originally referring to those sharing water rights. Over time, it evolved to mean competitors in general, with the '-ry' suffix indicating a state or condition.
The word literally comes from 'river'—imagine ancient people competing for rights to the same water source, and you get the origin of the concept of rivalry itself. Today's sports rivalries and feuds are echoes of those primal conflicts.
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