The origin of words: THRUST

Thrust dates back to the mid-12th century. The Middle English verb thrusten orthrysten (the y was pronounced like a u, but with the mouth shaped like you were sucking on a straw) came into English from a Scandinavian source, though linguists are not sure which. It can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic verb thrustijanan, and some researchers think it originated in the Proto-Indo-European root treud – (to push or press), but others disagree. It is related to the Old Norse thrȳsta (to thrust, force or press) and, if it does come from the PIE root treud-, it is also related to the English word threat. The noun comes from the verb and, meaning ‘the act of pressing,’ dates back to the early 16th century. The meaning we use today, ‘the act of thrusting,’ appeared in the late 16th century. The meaning ‘propulsive force dates back to the early 17th century, while the figurative sense, ‘main theme, aim, point or purpose,’ is very new; it started to be used in the 1960s.