Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “strewen” come from?

strewen (Middle English) comes from Old English strewian, from Old English strēawian, from Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan, from Proto-Germanic strawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European strowéyeti, from Proto-Indo-European strew-, from Proto-Indo-European sterh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European ster- — sterile, infertile.

Ancestry of “strewen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishstrewianAlternative form of strēawian; to strew, scatter
2Old Englishstrēawian—
3Proto-West Germanic*strauwjan—
4Proto-Germanicstrawjanąto strew
5Proto-Indo-Europeanstrowéyetito strew, to disperse; to spawn
6Proto-Indo-Europeanstrew-to spread, to strew
7Proto-Indo-Europeansterh₃-to spread, extend, stretch out
8Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile

Words derived from “strewen”

  • strewn
  • strew
  • strown
  • strow
  • strewer
  • streweth
  • strewment
  • strewest
  • strewage
  • windstrewn
  • unstrewn
  • overstrew
  • strewable
  • overstrow
  • strower
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →