Where does “throwaway” come from?
Throwaway combines English throw, from Old English þrāwu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European terh₁-, with English away, denoting something designed to be discarded after use.
throwaway (English): Disposable; intended for a single use prior to...
Definitions
- Disposable; intended for a single use prior to...
Ancestry of “throwaway”, step by step
throwaway traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English throw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | throw | To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly... |
| 2 | Middle English | throwen | to throw |
| 3 | Old English | þrāwan | to turn, twist, wind; to turn, twist, curl, rack,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þrāan | to twist |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þrēaną | to twist, to turn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |