Old English strewian, streowian "to scatter," from Proto-Germanic *strawjan- (cognates: Old Frisian strewa, Old Saxon strowian, 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.). Related: Strewed; strewn; strewing.