strew

verb

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”).

1. To distribute objects or pieces of something over an area, especially in a random manner.

   “to strew sand over a floor”

   “The files had been strewn all over the floor.”

2. To cover, or lie upon, by having been scattered.

   “Leaves strewed the ground.”

   “The snow which does the top of Pindus strew.”

3. To spread abroad; to disseminate.

   “She may strew dangerous conjectures.”

4. To populate with at random points; to cause to appear randomly distributed throughout.

   “error-strewn”