Dictionary

strew en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /stɹuː/ (UK)
• /stɹu/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English strewen, strawen, streowen, from Old English strewian, strēawian, strēowian (“to strew, scatter”), from Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan, 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”).

Meanings

1. (dated, qualifier:except strewn) To distribute objects or pieces of something over an area, especially in a random manner.
   • On a principal table a desk was open and many papers strewn about. 1880, [Benjamin Disraeli], Endymion […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC:
   • to strew sand over a floor
   • The files had been strewn all over the floor.
   • […] I ſee Th’ Inſulting Tyrant prancing o’er the Field Strow’d with Rome’s Citizens, and drench’d in Slaughter, His Horſe’s Hoofs wet with Patrician Blood. 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, pages 1-2:
   • Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew. c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
   • And strewed his mangled limbs about the field. 1697, Virgil, “Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
2. (archaic) To cover, or lie upon, by having been scattered.
   • Is thine alone the seed that strews the plain? 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:
   • Leaves strewed the ground.
   • The snow which does the top of Pindus strew. 1596, Edmund Spenser, Prothalamion:
3. (archaic, transitive) To spread abroad; to disseminate.
   • She may strew dangerous conjectures. c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:
4. To populate with at random points; to cause to appear randomly distributed throughout.
   • error-strewn

Forms

Deriveds

strewable · strewage · bestrew · strewnfield · strewment · strewer · unstrewed · overstrew · strewments · instrew

Relateds

streusel · strain

Synonyms

scatter · sprinkle

Translations (56)

ro răspândi (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · gl esparexer (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · id menebar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ko 흩뜨리다 (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · it disseminare (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fr parsemer (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ru сы́пать (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · sv strö (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ru насы́пать (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · id menyebar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ja 散らす (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · pt esparramar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · es esparcir (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · pl rozrzucić (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · cs rozházet (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · nl strooien (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · io trasemar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · nb strø (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ga scaip (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · it spargere (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ru разброса́ть (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · gl espallar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · bg разпръсвам (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · io dissemar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · sa स्तृनाति (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · mi whakapūreirei (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ko 흩다 (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fi hajottaa (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · cs roztrousit (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ro așterne (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · de streuen (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · la spargō (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · la cōnsternō (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · bg разстилам (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · mi whārikiriki (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ro împrăștia (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ja ばら撒く (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fur stierni (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · nn strø (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · txb kät- (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · it ricoprire (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fr joncher (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fa افشاندن (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ru посы́пать (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · cs rozptýlit (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · te వెదజల్లు (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · it cospargere (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · nl bestrooien (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fi levittää (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · fi sirotella (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ota صاچمق (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · cmn 散開 /散开 (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · pt espalhar (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ru разбра́сывать (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · ga easraigh (to distribute objects or pieces of something) · sa स्तृणोति (to distribute objects or pieces of something)