Link Centre Dictionary

straw

UK/stɹɔː/ US/stɹɔ/ fairly common slang
noun (4) adjective (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder

2.

material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds

Synonyms
3.

a yellow tint; yellow diluted with white

Synonyms
4.

a thin paper or plastic tube used to such liquids into the mouth

Synonyms

adjective

1.

of a pale yellow color like straw; straw colored

Similar

verb

1.

cover or provide with or as if with straw

  • “cows were strawed to weather the snowstorm”
2.

spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)

  • “strew toys all over the carpet”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English straw, from Old English strēaw, from Proto-West Germanic *strau, from Proto-Germanic *strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread around, strew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), West Frisian strie (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German and German Low German Stroh (“straw”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”), Walloon strin, Albanian shtrohë (“kennel”).

Phrases

  • a drowning man will clutch at a straw
  • a drowning man will grab at a straw
  • a drowning man will grasp at a straw
  • a straw shows how the wind blows
  • a straw shows which way the wind blows
  • bang straw
  • bendy straw
  • buy straw hats in winter
  • cheese straw
  • draw the short straw
  • drinking straw
  • grasp at straws

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.