What is rift? How to use in English

The word "rift" originated in the early 19th century and has its roots in Old Norse. In Norse mythology, a "riff" was an opening or fissure in the earth's surface caused by the movements of the gods. The Old Norse word for "rift" was "hryggr," which meant "wrinkled" or "furrowed." When Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures merged during the Viking Age, the Old Norse word "hryggr" was adopted into Old English as "rēaf." In this context, "rēaf" referred to a fissure or cleft in the earth's surface caused by geological activity. The modern English word "rift" continues to have this geological meaning, referring to a widening fracture in the Earth's crust, particularly in the context of tectonic plates moving apart. In addition, "rift" can also be used figuratively to refer to a separation or division, drawing on its metaphorical association with the geological concept of a geological rift.