Where does “cutthroat” come from?

Cutthroat comes from English cut and Middle English throte, from Old English þrote, from Proto-Germanic þrutǭ, from Proto-Indo-European trud-, meaning to push or thrust.

cutthroat (English): A murderer who slits the throats of victims; An...

Definitions

  1. A murderer who slits the throats of victims; An...

Ancestry of “cutthroat”, step by step

cutthroat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English throat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthroatThe front part of the neck; The gullet or...
2Middle Englishthrotethroat
3Old Englishþrotethroat
4Old Englishþrota—
5Proto-Germanicþrutǭswell
6Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile

via English CUT

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishCUTTo incise, to cut into the surface of something
2Middle Englishcutten—
3Old Norsekytjahovel, small cottage
4Proto-Germanickutjanąto cut
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þrutǭ →Every word from Old English þrota →