strew

[stroo] /stru/
verb (used with object), strewed, strewn
[stroon] /strun/ (Show IPA) or strewed, strewing.
1.
to let fall in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scatter or sprinkle:
to strew seed in a garden bed.
2.
to cover or overspread (a surface, place, etc.) with something scattered or sprinkled:
to strew a floor with sawdust.
3.
to be scattered or sprinkled over (a surface):
Sawdust strewed the floor.
4.
to spread widely; disseminate:
to strew rumors among the troops.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English strewen, Old English strewian; cognate with German streuen, Old Norse strā, Gothic straujan; akin to Latin sternere to spread (see stratum)
Related forms
strewer, noun
understrew, verb (used with object), understrewed, understrewn or understrewed, understrewing.
unstrewed, adjective
unstrewn, adjective
Synonyms
1. broadcast. See sprinkle.
Antonyms
1. gather, reap.
Examples from the web for strew
  • strew slides of neutral pH residue were made to identify incompletely disaggregated samples.
British Dictionary definitions for strew

strew

/struː/
verb strews, strewing, strewed, strewn, strewed
1.
to spread or scatter or be spread or scattered, as over a surface or area
Derived Forms
strewer, noun
Word Origin
Old English streowian; related to Old Norse strā, Old High German streuwen, Latin struere to spread
Word Origin and History for strew
v.

Old English streowian, from Proto-Germanic *straujanan (cf. Old Saxon stroian, Old Norse stra, Danish strø, Swedish strö, Middle Dutch strowen, Dutch strooien, Old High German strouwen, German streuen, Gothic straujan "to sprinkle, strew"), from PIE root *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (see structure (n.)).