Jettison
/ˈdʒɛtɪsən/noun
To throw or drop something from a ship, aircraft, or vehicle; or to discard something unwanted.
Did you know?The word came into English through Anglo-French and was originally a maritime term for throwing cargo overboard to lighten a vessel in danger.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
jactāre
“to throw, toss about”
Old French
Old French
getaison / jetaison
“a throwing; a cast-off load”
Middle English
English
jettison
“the act of throwing cargo overboard to lighten a ship”
16th Century
English
jettison
“to throw goods overboard in an emergency”
Modern English
English
jettison
“to discard or abandon something unwanted”