Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “jetsam” come from?

Jetsam comes from Middle English jetteson, from Anglo-Norman getteson, from Old French getaison, derived from Old French jeter and geter, from Latin iactare and iacere, meaning to throw.

jetsam (English): articles thrown overboard from a ship or boat in...

Definitions

  1. articles thrown overboard from a ship or boat in...

Ancestry of “jetsam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishjetteson—
2Anglo-Normangetteson—
3Old Frenchgetaisona throwing
4Latiniactō—
5Latiniaciō—
6Proto-Indo-European(H)yeh₁-to throw
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (H)yeh₁- →