Strew
/struː/noun
To scatter or spread things loosely over a surface.
Did you know?Strew comes from Old English and is ultimately tied to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to spread” or “to stretch out,” which also lives on in words like structure and street.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*strew-
“to spread, stretch out”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*strewaną
“to scatter, strew, spread”
Old English
OE
streowian
“to scatter, sprinkle, spread”
Middle English
ME
strewen
“to scatter or spread loosely”
Modern English
English
strew
“to scatter or spread things over a surface”