Slinge

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To throw or hurl an object forward, especially by means of a sling or a similar looped cord
2. An archaic way of describing the act of flinging a missile with a leather strap or sling
3. Meaning to cast or propel something through the air, usually by swinging a sling and releasing it

Etymology: The verb has been in English since Old English, when "slingan" meant simply to hurl or fling something, with no requirement that it be swung in a loop. The swinging sense came later, and the familiar sling weapon, a cord looped around the hand to whirl a stone, took its name from the action of throwing rather than from the cord itself. The Middle English spelling "slinge" survives mainly in older texts, where it appears as both verb and noun. The verb belongs to a Germanic family whose members share the idea of winding or twisting. Old Norse had "slyngva," meaning to sling or hurl, and German has "schlingen," meaning to wind, coil, or wolf down food. The shared thread is motion in a curved or looping path. Many modern English uses of "sling" still carry that arc, from slinging a bag over a shoulder to slinging insults.