outstretch

English

Etymology

From Middle English outstrecchen, equivalent to out- +‎ stretch. Cognate with West Frisian útstreekje (“to outstretch”), Dutch uitstrekken (“to outstretch”), German Low German utstrecken (“to outstretch”), German ausstrecken (“to outstretch”), Danish udstrække (“to outstretch”), Swedish utsträcka (“to outstretch”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aʊtˈstɹɛt͡ʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɛtʃ
• Hyphenation: out‧stretch

Verb

outstretch (third-person singular simple present outstretches, present participle outstretching, simple past and past participle outstretched)

1. (transitive) To extend by stretching.
   • 2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     She knew from avalanche safety courses that outstretched hands might puncture the ice surface and alert rescuers. She knew that if victims ended up buried under the snow, cupped hands in front of the face could provide a small pocket of air for the mouth and nose. Without it, the first breaths could create a suffocating ice mask.

Derived terms

• outstretcher

Anagrams

• stretch out, stretchout