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Synonyms for straw

Grammar : Noun
Spell : straw
Phonetic Transcription : strɔ


Définition of straw

Origin :
  • Old English streaw "stems or stalks of certain cereals," literally "that which is scattered or strewn," related to streowian (see strew), from Proto-Germanic *strawam "that which is scattered" (cf. Old Norse stra, Danish straa, Swedish strå, Old Frisian stre, Old Dutch, Old High German stro, German Stroh "straw"), from PIE *stere- "to spread" (see structure (n.)). The notion is of dried grain stalks strewn on a floor as carpeting or bedding. As a type of what is trifling or unimportant, attested from late 13c. Meaning "hollow tube through which a drink is sucked" is recorded from 1851.
  • To draw straws as a means of deciding something is recorded from 1832. The last straw is from the proverb of the camel. Straw poll is from 1932; earlier straw vote (1866). Straw hat first attested mid-15c. To clutch (or grasp or catch) at straws (1748) is what a drowning man proverbially would do.
  • noun hay
Example sentences :
  • Joe picked his straw hat from a chair and stood turning it in his hands.
  • Extract from : « K » by Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • After the good-night to my neighbour, I tumbled into my straw and slept soundly, animal-like.
  • Extract from : « Green Mansions » by W. H. Hudson
  • "Sure I'm only rowling a wisp of straw on my leg," replied Hosey.
  • Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
  • The tenacity of this straw makes it very valuable for such purposes.
  • Extract from : « In the Heart of Vosges » by Matilda Betham-Edwards
  • The hallways were strewn with straw and the litter of packing.
  • Extract from : « In the Valley » by Harold Frederic
  • If intended for poultry, the slips of bacon should not be thicker than a straw.
  • Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie
  • Cover the bottom of a large boiler or kettle with saw-dust or straw.
  • Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie
  • "It's a drowning man's straw," he said, a little breathlessly.
  • Extract from : « The Fortune Hunter » by Louis Joseph Vance
  • What do you say to a kind of a straw color, all lit up with tulips?
  • Extract from : « Meadow Grass » by Alice Brown
  • The enclosure was very hot and stuffy; there was a smell of dust and straw.
  • Extract from : « Meadow Grass » by Alice Brown

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Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019