*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hurl

Inherited from Middle English hurlen, of onomatopoeic origin; compare hurry, hurtle.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To throw (something) with force. · To utter (harsh or derogatory speech), especially at its target. · To participate in the sport of hurling. · To vomit.

noun

A throw, especially a violent throw; a fling. · The act of vomiting. · Vomit. · The act of hitting the sliotar with the hurley.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English hurlen, of onomatopoeic origin; compare hurry, hurtle.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionhurlenenm

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hurlen",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
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        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hurlen"
    },
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      "hurlen",
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    ],
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    ],
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      "hurtle#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To throw (something) with force.",
        "To utter (harsh or derogatory speech), especially at its target.",
        "To participate in the sport of hurling.",
        "To vomit."
      ],
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A throw, especially a violent throw; a fling.",
        "The act of vomiting.",
        "Vomit.",
        "The act of hitting the sliotar with the hurley."
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 6,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hurl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aHVybA