strew

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to scatter or spread things loosely, often untidily, over a surface

   They began to strew flower petals along the path.

2. 2
   verb

   to cover or lie over a surface as scattered objects, often in the passive form strewn

   Fallen branches were strewn across the road after the storm.

Simplified etymology

Strew is an Old English word related to straw. Both descend from an ancient root also represented by Latin sternere, meaning “to lay flat.”

From Middle English strewen, from Old English strewian, from Proto-Germanic *strawjaną 'to scatter'. It is related to straw through the older idea of spreading straw or other material over a surface.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary