Etymograph

English

bestrew

Bestrew comes from Old English bestrēawian ‘to bestrew, besprinkle’, from strēawian ‘to strew’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strew-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-1‘to spread, strew’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strow-éye-ti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strawjaną2‘to strew’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strauwjan3‘to strew, to spread out’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150strēawian4‘to strew’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150bestrēawian5‘to bestrew, besprinkle’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bistrewen5
  8. Englishtodaybestrew5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strawjaną
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English streawian
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English bestreawian
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English bestrew

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strawjaną‘to spread, strew’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strow-éye-tiWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strawjanąreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strawjanąWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan‘to strew’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strauwjanWiktionary, Old English streawian‘to strew, to spread out’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150strēawianWiktionary, Old English bestreawian‘to strew’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150bestrēawianWiktionary, English bestrew‘to bestrew, besprinkle’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bistrewenWiktionary, English bestrew
  8. EnglishtodaybestrewWiktionary, English bestrew

Formed from be- + strew

Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi ‘at, near’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi

Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’

Proto-Germanic *bi-

Proto-West Germanic *bi-

English be-

Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread, scatter’

Proto-Germanic *strawjaną ‘to strew’

Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan ‘to strew, to spread out’

Old English strewian ‘to strew, scatter’

Middle English strewen

English strew

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread, strew’

construction, structure, instrument, destroy, destruction, strain, instructor, construct, straw, destructive, obstruction, instruct, obstruct, construe, perestroika, stripling, 11 more

through Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan ‘to strew, to spread out’

stray, 2 more

Today it means

verb To strew or scatter about; throw or drop here and there.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “bestrew”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *strawjaną, Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan, Old English streawian, Old English bestreawian. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *strew- / bestrew

Shirt and support for this word