Thraw

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Dialect verb meaning to twist or wrench something out of shape ; in Scots usage, to throw or hurl an object through the air
2. An old Scots verb for twisting or wrenching a thing awkwardly ; a regional word meaning to fling or toss something forcefully
3. Archaic Scots term for wrenching something into a twisted shape ; a dialect verb that also means to hurl or pitch an object

Etymology: Before "throw" meant to hurl something, it meant to twist or turn, and Scots kept that older sense alive in "thraw." Both descend from the Old English verb "þrāwan," which meant to twist, turn, or bend. Silk-workers who twisted thread into yarn were once called throwsters, and "throwing" silk was the same twisting process. Scots speakers took the sense of twisting further, using "thraw" for wrenching a limb, distorting a face, or turning someone's neck. The adjective "thrawn," meaning stubborn, sulky, or contrary, grew from the same twisting image: a person who is twisted in temper will not straighten out. A Scots speaker might describe a stubborn child or a balky horse as thrawn, and a bad mood as being "in a thraw." The noun carries the physical sense too, a twist, a wrench, or a sprain. The English-speaking world largely lost this word, but Scots kept it in regular use.