throe
[ throh ]
/ θroʊ /
noun
a violent spasm or pang; paroxysm.
a sharp attack of emotion.
throes,
- any violent convulsion or struggle: the throes of battle.
- the agony of death.
- the pains of childbirth.
Nearby words
throatlatch, throatwash, throaty, throb, throckmorton, throe, throes, thrombase, thrombasthenia, thrombectomy, thrombin
Origin of throe
1150–1200; Middle English throwe, alteration of thrawe (-o- from Old English thrōwian to suffer, be in pain), Old English thrawu; cognate with Old Norse thrā (in līkthrā leprosy)
Can be confusedthroe throw
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for throe
British Dictionary definitions for throe
throe
/ (θrəʊ) /
noun
rare a pang or pain
Word Origin for throe
Old English thrāwu threat; related to Old High German drawa threat, Old Norse thrā desire, thrauka to endure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for throe
throe
c.1200, throwe "pain, pang of childbirth, agony of death," possibly from Old English þrawan "twist, turn, writhe" (see throw), or altered from Old English þrea (genitive þrawe) "affliction, pang, evil, threat" (related to þrowian "to suffer"), from Proto-Germanic *thrawo (cf. Middle High German dro "threat," German drohen "to threaten"). Modern spelling first recorded 1610s. Related: Throes.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with throe
throe
see in the throes.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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