Where does “strew” come from?
Strew comes from Middle English strawen, derived from Old English -en verbal suffix applied to a Proto-Indo-European root ster- meaning to spread or scatter.
strew (English): To distribute objects or pieces of something over...
Definitions
- To distribute objects or pieces of something over...
Ancestry of “strew”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | strewen | — |
| 2 | Old English | strewian | Alternative form of strēawian; to strew, scatter |
| 3 | Old English | strēawian | to strew |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *strauwjan | to strew, to spread out |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | strawjaną | to strew |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | strowéyeti | to strew, to disperse; to spawn |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | strew- | to spread, to strew |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sterh₃- | to spread, extend, stretch out |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |