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Strew vs Stew - What's the difference?

strew | stew |

In transitive terms the difference between strew and stew

is that strew is to spread abroad; to disseminate while stew is to brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong.

As verbs the difference between strew and stew

is that strew is to distribute objects or pieces of something over an area, especially in a random manner while stew is to cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering.

As a noun stew is

a cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron.

As a proper noun Stew is

a diminutive of the male given name Stewart.

strew

English

Alternative forms

* (l) * (l) (dialectal)

Verb

  • To distribute objects or pieces of something over an area, especially in a random manner.
    • to strew sand over a floor
  • * , Romeo and Juliet , act 5, sc. 3:
    • Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew .
  • * Dryden
    • And strewed his mangled limbs about the field.
  • * Beaconsfield
    • On a principal table a desk was open and many papers strewn about.
  • To cover, or lie upon, by having been scattered.
    • Leaves strewed the ground.
  • * Spenser
    • The snow which does the top of Pindus strew .
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Is thine alone the seed that strews the plain?
  • To spread abroad; to disseminate.
  • * Shakespeare
    • She may strew dangerous conjectures.

    Synonyms

    * scatter, sprinkle

    Derived terms

    * strewments * strewnfield

    Related terms

    * strain

    Anagrams

    * English irregular verbs

    stew

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) estuve (modern French .

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (label) A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron.
  • *:
  • *:And when he came to the chamber there as this lady was the dores of yron vnlocked and vnbolted / And so syr launcelot wente in to the chambre that was as hote as ony stewe / And there syr launcelot toke the fayrest lady by the hand / that euer he sawe / and she was naked as a nedel
  • (label) A brothel.
  • *1681 , (John Dryden), (Absalom and Achitophel)
  • *:And rak'd, for converts, even the court and stews .
  • *1835 , (Thomas Babington Macaulay), Sir James Mackintosh
  • *:Because he was chaste, the precinct of his temple is filled with licensed stews .
  • *1977 , Gãmini Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld , Folio Society, 2006, p.37:
  • *:Although whores were permitted to sit at the door of the stew , they could not solicit in any way nor ‘chide or throw stones’ at passers-by.
  • (label) A prostitute.
  • :
  • *1870 , Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood , Wordsworth Classics, 1998, p.367:
  • *:I noticed then that there was nothing to drink on the table but brandy, and nothing to eat but salted herrings, and a hot, sickly, highly peppered stew .
  • (label) A pool in which fish are kept in preparation for eating.
  • An artificial bed of oysters.
  • (label) A state of agitated excitement, worry, and/or confusion.
  • :
    • Synonyms
    * (food) casserole, (British) hotpot
    Coordinate terms
    * casserole * cassoulet * goulash * ragout
    Derived terms
    * in a stew * stewpot

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (transitive, or, intransitive, or, ergative) To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering.
    • I'm going to stew some meat for the casserole.
    The meat is stewing nicely.
  • To brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong.
  • (figuratively) To suffer under uncomfortably hot conditions.
  • (figuratively) To be in a state of elevated anxiety or anger.
    • Synonyms
    * (suffer under hot conditions) bake, boil, sweat, swelter * (be in a state of elevated anxiety) brood, fret, sweat, worry

    Etymology 2

    Abbreviation of steward or stewardess.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A steward or stewardess on an airplane.
  • * 1975 November 3, , volume 8, number 44, page 8 [http://google.com/books?id=OekCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=stew]:
    • And then, working as a stew for American Airlines, Mo met another older man.
  • * 1991 , , 1992 edition, ISBN 0425184226, page 480 [http://google.com/books?id=kP84eUjxv-MC&pg=PA480&dq=stew]:
    • "We want to know what he's going to be saying on his airplane."
    "I don't have the legs to dress up as a stew , doc. Besides, I never learned to do the tea ceremony, either."
  • * 1992 January, Skip Hollandsworth, "Doing the Hustle", , ISSN 0148-7736, volume 20, issue 1, page 52 [http://google.com/books?id=dysEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52&dq=stew]:
    • Dallas was also becoming known as a "stew zoo" because so many flight attendants were relocating there to work for Southwest, Braniff, and American Airlines.

    Anagrams

    * *