strew

English

Alternative forms

• strow, straw (dialectal)

Etymology

From Middle English strewen, strawen, streowen, from Old English strewian, strēawian, strēowian (“to strew, scatter”), from Proto-Germanic *strawjaną (“to strew”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, scatter”). Cognate with Scots strow, straw (“to strew”), West Frisian streauwe (“to strew”), Dutch strooien (“to strew, scatter, sprinkle”), German streuen (“to strew, scatter”), Swedish strö (“to strew”), Icelandic strá (“to strew”), Norwegian Nynorsk strå (“to strew”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /stɹuː/　

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /stɹu/
• Rhymes: -uː

Verb

strew (third-person singular simple present strews, present participle strewing, simple past strewed, past participle strewn or strewed)

1. (archaic except strewn) To distribute objects or pieces of something over an area, especially in a random manner.

   to strew sand over a floor

   • c. 1595,, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act 5, scene 3

     Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew.

   • 1697, “Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

     And strewed his mangled limbs about the field.

   • 1880, Benjamin Disraeli, Endymion

     On a principal table a desk was open and many papers strewn about.

2. (archaic except strewn) To cover, or lie upon, by having been scattered.

   Leaves strewed the ground.

   • (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The snow which does the top of Pindus strew.

   • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], OCLC 960856019:

     Is thine alone the seed that strews the plain?

3. (transitive, archaic) To spread abroad; to disseminate.

   • c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene v]:

     She may strew dangerous conjectures.

Synonyms

• scatter, sprinkle

Derived terms

• bestrew
• strewable
• strewage
• strewments
• strewnfield

Related terms

• strain

Translations

to distribute objects or pieces of something

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 散開 (zh), 散开 (zh) (sànkāi)

• Czech: rozházet, roztrousit, rozptýlit
• Dutch: strooien (nl), bestrooien
• Finnish: sirotella (fi), levittää (fi), hajottaa (fi)
• French: parsemer (fr), joncher (fr)
• Friulian: stierni
• Galician: espallar (gl), esparexer
• German: streuen (de)
• Ido: trasemar (io), dissemar (io)
• Indonesian: menyebar, menebar
• Irish: easraigh
• Italian: spargere (it), disseminare, cospargere (it), ricoprire (it)

• Japanese: 散らす (ちらす, chirasu), ばら撒く (ばらまく, baramaku)
• Korean: 흩다 (heutda), 흩뜨리다 (heuttteurida)
• Latin: spargō, cōnsternō
• Maori: whārikiriki
• Norwegian: strø
• Persian: افشاندن‎ (fa) (afšandan)
• Polish: rozrzucić (pl)
• Portuguese: espalhar (pt), esparramar (pt)
• Romanian: împrăștia (ro), răspândi (ro), așterne (ro)
• Russian: разбра́сывать (ru) impf (razbrásyvatʹ), разброса́ть (ru) pf (razbrosátʹ), сы́пать (ru) impf (sýpatʹ), насы́пать (ru) pf (nasýpatʹ), посы́пать (ru) pf (posýpatʹ)
• Sanskrit: स्तृणोति (sa) (stṛṇoti), स्तृनाति (sa) (stṛnāti)
• Spanish: esparcir (es)
• Swedish: strö (sv)
• Telugu: వెదజల్లు (te) (vedajallu)

Anagrams

• Trews, trews, werst, wrest

---

Middle English

Noun

strew

1. Alternative form of straw