*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of threw

From Middle English threw, from Old English þrēow (first and third person past tense of þrāwan), from West Germanic *þreu, from Northwest Germanic *þrerō, from Proto-Germanic *þeþrō (first and third person past tense of

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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

simple past of throw · past participle of throw

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

From Middle English threw, from Old English þrēow (first and third person past tense of þrāwan), from West Germanic *þreu, from Northwest Germanic *þrerō, from Proto-Germanic *þeþrō (first and third person past tense of *þrēaną), reduplication of *þrēaną.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inherited",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "threw"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English threw"
    },
    {
      "name": "inherited",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "þrēow"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þrēow"
    },
    {
      "name": "inherited",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*þeþrō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *þeþrō"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "threw",
      "threw#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "þrēow",
      "þreow#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "þrāwan",
      "þrawan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*þeþrō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þeþrō"
    ],
    [
      "*þrēaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þrēaną"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "simple past of throw",
        "past participle of throw"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "past",
        "colloquial",
        "nonstandard",
        "participle"
      ],
      "recordId": "f7ac0e684403646e20a0603b6b0414fa92d9971d50d9d316bf14d56a480e6699",
      "rawRecordSha256": "90be0330f5327950d903014152ccb602fade08255bd948cc524b8faec3b01074",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 35232
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 threw →

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-dGhyZXc