Nearby Words

throe

[throh] Origin

throe

[throh]
noun
1.
a violent spasm or pang; paroxysm.
2.
a sharp attack of emotion.
3.
throes,
a.
any violent convulsion or struggle: the throes of battle.
b.
the agony of death.
c.
the pains of childbirth.

Origin:
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)

throe, throw (see synonym note at throw).


3a. upheaval, tumult, chaos, turmoil.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Throe is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
throe (θrəʊ)
 
n
rare a pang or pain
 
[Old English thrāwu threat; related to Old High German drawa threat, Old Norse thrā desire, thrauka to endure]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

throe
c.1200, throwe "pain, pang of childbirth, agony of death," possibly from O.E. þrawan "twist, turn, writhe" (see throw), or altered from O.E. þrea (gen. þrawe) "affliction, pang, evil, threat" (related to þrowian "to suffer"), from P.Gmc. *thrawo (cf.
EXPAND
M.H.G. dro "threat," Ger. drohen "to threaten"). Modern spelling first recorded 1615.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

throe

see in the throes.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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