From Middle English straugh, strauȝ, straw, strawe, strea, streuw, from Old English strēaw, strēow, from Proto-West Germanic *strau, from Proto-Germanic *strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, strew”), from *sterh₃- (“to extend, spread”), from *ster- (“barren, infertile”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots strae (“straw”), Yola stre, strew (“straw”), Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German Stroh (“straw”), Luxembourgish Stréi (“straw”), Vilamovian śtruf, śtruw, štrūv (“straw”), Yiddish שטרוי (shtroy, “straw”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”); also Cornish stras (“flat valley; lowland”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic srath (“bottom, holm; river valley”), Welsh ystrad (“valley”), Latin struo (“place one thing on top of another; to build, compose; to devise, ready; to arrange, place; to head up”), Greek στρώμα (stróma, “mattress; layer, sheet”), Albanian shtrij (“to stretch; to lay; to run fast”), shtroj (“to scatter, spread”), Belarusian старана́ (staraná, “side; country”), Bulgarian and Macedonian страна́ (straná, “side; country”), Czech and Slovak strana (“side; page; party”), Kashubian and Polish strona (“side; page; party; country”), Russian сторона́ (storoná, “side; country”), страна́ (straná, “country”), Serbo-Croatian стра́на, strána (“side; page”), Slovene stran (“side; page”), Armenian ստերջ (sterǰ, “barren, sterile”), Persian گستردن (gostardan / gustardan, “to extend, spread”), Sanskrit स्तृ (stṛ), स्तॄ (stṝ, “to scatter, spread”).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Made of straw.
straw hat
(not-comparable) Of a pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
(figuratively, not-comparable) Imaginary, but presented as real.
A straw enemy built up in the media to seem like a real threat, which then collapses like a balloon.
[Y]ou again seem to be building some straw house to pretend the bible does not speak quite clearly against homosexuality being "not natural" […] 1998 January 4, AgThorn, “Christianity and Homosexuality”, in alt.org.promisekeepers (Usenet):
fi oljenkeltainen (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · fi olki- (made of straw) · gl palloso (made of straw) · eo pajla (made of straw) · es pajoso (made of straw) · cs slaměný (made of straw) · fr paille (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · de strohfarben (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · mk сламен (made of straw) · fi oljenvaalea (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · es pajizo (made of straw) · bg сламен (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · bg сламен (made of straw) · pl słomiany (made of straw) · ru соло́менный (made of straw) · de strohblond (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · hy ծղոտե (made of straw) · fi oljesta tehty (made of straw) · fi olkinen (made of straw) · de Stroh- (made of straw) · es pajizo (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · ru соло́менный (of a pale, yellowish beige colour) · kmr ka (made of straw)
From Middle English straugh, strauȝ, straw, strawe, strea, streuw, from Old English strēaw, strēow, from Proto-West Germanic *strau, from Proto-Germanic *strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, strew”), from *sterh₃- (“to extend, spread”), from *ster- (“barren, infertile”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots strae (“straw”), Yola stre, strew (“straw”), Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German Stroh (“straw”), Luxembourgish Stréi (“straw”), Vilamovian śtruf, śtruw, štrūv (“straw”), Yiddish שטרוי (shtroy, “straw”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”); also Cornish stras (“flat valley; lowland”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic srath (“bottom, holm; river valley”), Welsh ystrad (“valley”), Latin struo (“place one thing on top of another; to build, compose; to devise, ready; to arrange, place; to head up”), Greek στρώμα (stróma, “mattress; layer, sheet”), Albanian shtrij (“to stretch; to lay; to run fast”), shtroj (“to scatter, spread”), Belarusian старана́ (staraná, “side; country”), Bulgarian and Macedonian страна́ (straná, “side; country”), Czech and Slovak strana (“side; page; party”), Kashubian and Polish strona (“side; page; party; country”), Russian сторона́ (storoná, “side; country”), страна́ (straná, “country”), Serbo-Croatian стра́на, strána (“side; page”), Slovene stran (“side; page”), Armenian ստերջ (sterǰ, “barren, sterile”), Persian گستردن (gostardan / gustardan, “to extend, spread”), Sanskrit स्तृ (stṛ), स्तॄ (stṝ, “to scatter, spread”).
Meanings
(countable) A dried stalk of a cereal plant.
(uncountable) Such dried stalks considered collectively; this bulk matter may be a chief salable product, a by-product, fodder, bedding, or green manure, depending on region and on current market conditions.
(countable) A drinking straw.
(countable, uncommon, uncountable) A pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
(countable, figuratively, in the negative, uncountable) Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing.
To be deeply interested in the accidents of our existence, to enjoy keenly the mixed texture of human experience, rather leads a man to disregard precautions, and risk his neck against a straw. 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque:
He also decided, which was more to his purpose, that Eleanor did not care a straw for him, and that very probably she did care a straw for his rival. 1857, Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers:
‘For thy sword and thy bow I care not a straw,
Nor all thine arrows to boot;
If I get a knop upon thy bare scop,
Thou canst as well shite as shoote.’ 1889, “Robin Hood and the Tanner”, in Francis James Child, editor, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, volume 3, page 138:
to not care a straw
(countable, uncountable) A straw owner.
The Bromfield Street offices were housed in a dilapidated but heavily-insured building, owned by a straw for a wealthy downtown real estate developer, surrounded by expensive new commercial developments, and in a city renowned for arson-for-profit. 1984 August 4, Larry Goldsmith, “Cops Charged With Setting GCN Fire”, in Gay Community News, page 1:
he תֶּבֶן (dried stalks considered collectively) · ca palla (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · be сало́міна (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ur تنکا (dried stalks considered collectively) · nrf pâle (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · is strá (dried stalks considered collectively) · et õlekõrs (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · bo སོག་མ (dried stalks considered collectively) · mfe lapay (dried stalks considered collectively) · nb halm (dried stalks considered collectively) · gl palla (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · da strå (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ur پوال (dried stalks considered collectively) · nds Stroh (dried stalks considered collectively) · ce ча (dried stalks considered collectively) · cs sláma (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · oc palha (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sl slama (dried stalks considered collectively) · da halm (dried stalks considered collectively) · th ฟาง (dried stalks considered collectively) · bho खर (dried stalks considered collectively) · fa نی (dried stalks considered collectively) · ang strēaw (dried stalks considered collectively) · mi kakau witi (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · vec festuca (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ky саман (dried stalks considered collectively) · orv солома (dried stalks considered collectively) · ja 藁 (dried stalks considered collectively) · yi שטרוי (dried stalks considered collectively) · fr paille (dried stalks considered collectively) · sc palla (dried stalks considered collectively) · tr saman (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · vo stolastag (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · cu слама (dried stalks considered collectively) · ka ჩალა (dried stalks considered collectively) · cy gwelltyn (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · az çöp (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ug سامان (dried stalks considered collectively) · hu szalma (dried stalks considered collectively) · ltg cysa (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · bcl uhot (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · az saman (dried stalks considered collectively) · fr fétu (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · dsb słoma (dried stalks considered collectively) · crh toban (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lmo paja (dried stalks considered collectively) · it paglia (dried stalks considered collectively) · tr saman (dried stalks considered collectively) · sc paza (dried stalks considered collectively) · ro pai (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · tg коҳ (dried stalks considered collectively) · ko 짚 (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ar قَشّ (dried stalks considered collectively) · hy ծղոտ (dried stalks considered collectively) · sv strå (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · da strå (dried stalks considered collectively) · zza patil (dried stalks considered collectively) · nrf païle (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lv salms (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · tg пахол (dried stalks considered collectively) · hi पुआल (dried stalks considered collectively) · ga sifín (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ady хьэуарз (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ga cochán (dried stalks considered collectively) · oc palha (dried stalks considered collectively) · bg сла́ма (dried stalks considered collectively) · fr paille (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ug پاخلا (dried stalks considered collectively) · nrf pâlle (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ms jerami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · nl stro (dried stalks considered collectively) · cmn 稻草 (dried stalks considered collectively) · it pagliuzza (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · acw قَشّ (dried stalks considered collectively) · cy gwellt (dried stalks considered collectively) · gl palla (dried stalks considered collectively) · tr hasır (dried stalks considered collectively) · eo pajlero (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · nrf pâle (dried stalks considered collectively) · mk слама (dried stalks considered collectively) · lt šiaudas (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · nb strå (dried stalks considered collectively) · ceb dagami (dried stalks considered collectively) · eu lasto (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · be сало́ма (dried stalks considered collectively) · tl munti (dried stalks considered collectively) · nrf pâlle (dried stalks considered collectively) · ml വയ്ക്കോൽ (dried stalks considered collectively) · isd daxami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sc paxa (dried stalks considered collectively) · bg сламка (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · fa پوشال (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · wa paye (dried stalks considered collectively) · uk соломи́на (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sv halm (dried stalks considered collectively) · ady хьэуарзэ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · kw kalaven (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · pt palha (dried stalks considered collectively) · sh slamka (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · vec paja (dried stalks considered collectively) · eu zuhain (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · pt palha (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lv salmi (dried stalks considered collectively) · jv dami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sq kashtë (dried stalks considered collectively) · uz somon (dried stalks considered collectively) · ja 藁 (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · vec festuch (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lo ເຟືອງ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ml കച്ചിൽ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · th ฟาง (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · akl dagami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ast paya (dried stalks considered collectively) · ja 藁色 (colour) · hy ծղոտ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · kbd хьэуазэ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · wa fistou (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · tk sypal (dried stalks considered collectively) · fi pahna (dried stalks considered collectively) · cmn 秸稈 /秸秆 (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · fi olki (dried stalks considered collectively) · vi rơm (dried stalks considered collectively) · mn дэрс (dried stalks considered collectively) · es pajiza (colour) · ms jerami (dried stalks considered collectively) · my ကောက်ရိုး (dried stalks considered collectively) · de strohfarben (colour) · uk соломи́нка (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · tk saman (dried stalks considered collectively) · alt салам (dried stalks considered collectively) · fa کاه (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · it festuca (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ga fadóg (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · hu szalma (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sc patza (dried stalks considered collectively) · hu szalmasárga (colour) · alt салам (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sc pàlgia (dried stalks considered collectively) · fi oljenkeltainen (colour) · bg сламен (colour) · pdt Stroo (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · kum салам (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · wa paye (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · atv сабан (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sh сламка (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · da halm (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sc pàgia (dried stalks considered collectively) · io palio (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · km ចំបើង (dried stalks considered collectively) · rup palj (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ko 짚 (dried stalks considered collectively) · msk dagami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · bn খড় (dried stalks considered collectively) · lb Stréi (dried stalks considered collectively) · tl dayami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ba һалам (dried stalks considered collectively) · wym śtruf (dried stalks considered collectively) · sh slama (dried stalks considered collectively) · fur pae (dried stalks considered collectively) · rup paljiu (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ml കച്ചിൽ (dried stalks considered collectively) · it paglia (colour) · sv halm (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ml വയ്ക്കോൽ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · he קַשׁ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · fa کاه (dried stalks considered collectively) · mk сла́мка (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sk slama (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lmo paja (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lmo paia (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ja わら色 (colour) · ain ワラ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · cs sláma (dried stalks considered collectively) · la stipula (dried stalks considered collectively) · ru соло́ма (dried stalks considered collectively) · bo སོག་མ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · pl słomka (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · es paja (dried stalks considered collectively) · es pajizo (colour) · sv halmstrå (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · vo stol (dried stalks considered collectively) · et põhk (dried stalks considered collectively) · sk slama (dried stalks considered collectively) · be сало́мінка (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · de Stroh (dried stalks considered collectively) · hi तिनका (dried stalks considered collectively) · el άχυρο (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ga tuí (dried stalks considered collectively) · ist paja (dried stalks considered collectively) · cmn 秸秆 (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · tr hasır (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sh слама (dried stalks considered collectively) · wa strin (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · kk салам (dried stalks considered collectively) · qu ichhu (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · kk сабан (dried stalks considered collectively) · ca palla (dried stalks considered collectively) · eo pajlo (dried stalks considered collectively) · nrf païle (dried stalks considered collectively) · rgn paja (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · lt šiaudai (dried stalks considered collectively) · ckb کا (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ja ワラ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · bdr rami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · rup paljã (dried stalks considered collectively) · ja ワラ (dried stalks considered collectively) · uz poxol (dried stalks considered collectively) · de Halm (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · pl słoma (dried stalks considered collectively) · fi olki (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · id jerami (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · sv strå (dried stalks considered collectively) · ru соло́минка (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · tr balya (dried stalks considered collectively) · mel jeramek (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · he קַשׁ (dried stalks considered collectively) · lo ເຟືອງ (dried stalks considered collectively) · sc padha (dried stalks considered collectively) · kmr ka ka (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · zza sakil (diq) (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · nn halm (dried stalks considered collectively) · ro paie (dried stalks considered collectively) · bua һолоомон (dried stalks considered collectively) · uk соло́ма (dried stalks considered collectively) · kmr pûş (dried stalks considered collectively) · wa strin (dried stalks considered collectively) · es paja (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · de Strohhalm (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ru соло́мина (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · gd sràbh (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · ady уарзэ (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · et kõrs (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · is strá (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · id jerami (dried stalks considered collectively) · fr jaune paille (colour) · de strohgelb (colour) · tk sypal (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · vi rơm (a dried stalk of a cereal plant) · nap paglia (dried stalks considered collectively) · cmn 稈子 /秆子 (a dried stalk of a cereal plant)
From Middle English straugh, strauȝ, straw, strawe, strea, streuw, from Old English strēaw, strēow, from Proto-West Germanic *strau, from Proto-Germanic *strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, strew”), from *sterh₃- (“to extend, spread”), from *ster- (“barren, infertile”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots strae (“straw”), Yola stre, strew (“straw”), Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German Stroh (“straw”), Luxembourgish Stréi (“straw”), Vilamovian śtruf, śtruw, štrūv (“straw”), Yiddish שטרוי (shtroy, “straw”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”); also Cornish stras (“flat valley; lowland”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic srath (“bottom, holm; river valley”), Welsh ystrad (“valley”), Latin struo (“place one thing on top of another; to build, compose; to devise, ready; to arrange, place; to head up”), Greek στρώμα (stróma, “mattress; layer, sheet”), Albanian shtrij (“to stretch; to lay; to run fast”), shtroj (“to scatter, spread”), Belarusian старана́ (staraná, “side; country”), Bulgarian and Macedonian страна́ (straná, “side; country”), Czech and Slovak strana (“side; page; party”), Kashubian and Polish strona (“side; page; party; country”), Russian сторона́ (storoná, “side; country”), страна́ (straná, “country”), Serbo-Croatian стра́на, strána (“side; page”), Slovene stran (“side; page”), Armenian ստերջ (sterǰ, “barren, sterile”), Persian گستردن (gostardan / gustardan, “to extend, spread”), Sanskrit स्तृ (stṛ), स्तॄ (stṝ, “to scatter, spread”).
Meanings
(idiomatic, transitive) To scatter or to spread loosely.
(transitive) To lay straw around plants to protect them from frost.
(obsolete, slang) To sell straws on the streets in order to cover the giving to the purchaser of things usually banned, such as pornography.
It was the custom for the disaffected of those days to make known their grievances by distributing papers on doors of public buildings, and even strawing them in the high way, for the benefit of the chance passenger. 1846, James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps, Letters of the kings of England, page 116:
Townspeople who saw 'strawing' and 'following the wran' as invasions by 'lusty young men of the country' saw Volunteer events in the same way. 1998, Peter Hart, The I.R.A. and Its Enemies: Violence and Community in Cork, 1916-1923, →ISBN, page 182:
I have already alluded to "strawing," which can hardly be described as quackery. It is rather a piece of mountebankery. […] The strawer offers to sell any passer by in the streets a straw and give the purchaser a paper which he dares not sell. Accordingly as he judges of the character of his audience, so he intimates that the paper is political, libellous, irreligious, or indecent. 1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor:
Forasmoche as there be diverse lewd and sedicious [folks] personnes [being so given to sedicon as they care not f] whiche do labor nowe to mayntain the traitorous doings of the duke of Somerset, and for that purposed do ivise the most vile false and traitorous bills, papers, and boks that ever were harde off, strawing the same in the stretes, aswel within the Citie of London [and] as in diverse [other] townes and other places in the cuntrey; wherein they do falsly and traitorously travail to slaunder the kings mat Counsail, thinking therby to amase and abuse his Mat good subgietts, which be in a redynes to joyne with the said counsail for the delyverey of the king our soveraign Lords most Royal person, remayning to his great peril and damage in the said dukes custody, and for the restoring of this noble Realme to some better order and quietnes, whiche shalbe the benefite [of every man] of us all universally; 1884, Nicholas Pocock, Troubles Connected with the Prayer - Book 1549, page 108: