The origin of words: HURL

Hurl dates back to the early 13th century, in the form of the Middle English verbhurlen, which originally meant ‘to rush against each other’ or ‘come into collision.’ The meaning expanded to include ‘throw with force’ by around the year 1300, and ‘to rush violently’ in the late 14th century. It is thought to come from a Germanic source, though linguists can’t place it precisely. The common base found in most examples, hurr, probably originated in an imitation of rapid motion. It is related to the Low German hurreln (to toss), the Frisian hurreln (‘to roar,’ usually said of the wind), the Low German hurreln (to throw’ or ‘to dash’), the dialectal German hurlen(‘to roll or rumble,’ said of thunder) and the East Frisian hurreln (to roar’ or ‘to bluster’), as well as the English word hurry. The noun comes from the verb, and dates back to the late 14th century. It originally meant ‘rushing water,’ but the senses ‘strife’ and ‘quarrel’ appeared in the 15th century, and ‘the act of throwing violently’ appeared in the early 16th century.