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
- A murderer who slits the throats of victims; An...
Ancestry of “cutthroat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | throat | The front part of the neck; The gullet or... |
| 2 | Middle English | throte | throat |
| 3 | Old English | þrote | throat |
| 4 | Old English | þrota | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þrutǭ | swell |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |