Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “throw” come from?

Throw comes from Middle English throwe and thrawe, Old English þrāwu, and Proto-Indo-European terh₁-, a root meaning to twist or turn.

throw (English): To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly...

Definitions

  1. To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly...

Ancestry of “throw”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishthrowen—
2Old Englishþrāwanto turn, twist, wind; to turn, twist, curl, rack,...
3Proto-West Germanicþrāanto twist
4Proto-Germanicþrēanąto twist, to turn
5Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “throw”

  • thrown
  • thrower
  • throwback
  • throwaway
  • windthrow
  • rethrow
  • downthrow
  • throweth
  • throwable
  • downthrown
  • throwout
  • throwest
  • windthrown
  • throwster
  • spearthrower
  • throwdown
  • outthrow
  • misthrow
  • throwline
  • forethrown
  • slugthrower
  • throwball
  • throwability
  • snowthrower
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →