different between let vs throw

English

Alternative forms

• lett (archaic)
• lettest (2nd person singular simple present and simple past; archaic)
• letteth (3rd person singular simple present; archaic)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?t/
• Rhymes: -?t
• Homophone: Lett

Etymology 1

From Middle English leten, læten, from Old English l?tan (“to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent”), from Proto-Germanic *l?tan? (“to leave behind, allow”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh?d- (“to let, leave behind”). Cognate with Scots lat, lete (“to let, leave”), North Frisian lete (“to let”), West Frisian litte (“to let”), Dutch laten (“to let, leave”), German lassen (“to let, leave, allow”), Swedish låta (“to let, allow, leave”), Icelandic láta (“to let”), Albanian lë (“to allow, let, leave”) and partially related to French laisser (“to let”).

Verb

let (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past let or (obsolete) leet, past participle let or (archaic) letten)

1. (transitive) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).

   • Pharaoh said, I will let you go.

   • 1971, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan

     He could not be let die of thirst there alone in the dark.
2. (transitive) To leave.
3. (transitive) To allow the release of (a fluid).

4. (transitive) To allow possession of (a property etc.) in exchange for rent.
5. (transitive) To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; often with out.

6. (transitive) Used to introduce an imperative in the first or third person.

7. (transitive, obsolete except with know) To cause (+ bare infinitive).
   • 1818, John Keats, "To—":

     Time's sea hath been five years at its slow ebb, / Long hours have to and fro let creep the sand […].

Usage notes

• The use of “let” to introduce an imperative may sometimes be confused with its use, as its own imperative, in the sense of “to allow”. For example, the sentence “Let me go to the store.” could either be a second-person imperative of “let” (addressing someone who might prevent the speaker from going to the store) or a first-person singular imperative of “go” (not implying any such preventer).

Synonyms

• (to allow): allow, permit

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

let (plural lets)

1. The allowing of possession of a property etc. in exchange for rent.

Etymology 2

From Middle English letten (“to hinder, delay”), from Old English lettan (“to hinder, delay”; literally, “to make late”), from Proto-Germanic *latjan?. Akin to Old English latian (“to delay”), Dutch letten, Old English læt (“late”). More at late, delay.

Verb

let (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past letted, past participle let)

1. (archaic) To hinder, prevent, impede, hamper, cumber; to obstruct (someone or something).

   • He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine

     Mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle.

2. (obsolete) To prevent someone from doing something; also to prevent something from happening.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts 8:

     And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shall lett me to be baptised?

3. (obsolete) To tarry or delay.

   • No longer wold he lette.

Noun

let (plural lets)

1. An obstacle or hindrance.
   • 1567 Arthur Golding; Ovid's Metamorphoses Bk. 3 Lines 60-1

     And Cadmus saw his campanie make tarience in that sort

     He marveld what should be their let, and went to seeke them out.

   • 1552, Hugh Latimer, the third sermon preached on the twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

     Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not.

2. (tennis) The hindrance caused by the net during serve, only if the ball falls legally.

Derived terms

• without let or hindrance

Translations

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Anagrams

• ELT, ETL, LTE, TEL, TLE, Tel., elt, tel

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l?t]
• Homophone: led

Etymology 1

From let?t.

Noun

let m

1. flight (the act of flying)

Declension

Derived terms

• letový

Etymology 2

Noun

let

1. genitive plural of léto

Further reading

• let in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• let in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse léttr, from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz, cognate with Swedish lätt, English light and German leicht.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l?d?]

Adjective

let (plural and definite singular attributive lette)

1. light (not heavy)
2. easy
3. slight
4. mild

Inflection

Synonyms

• (easy): nem, enkel

References

• “let,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

Adverb

let

1. lightly
2. easily
3. slightly
4. mildly

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of letmælk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l?d?]

Noun

let c (singular definite letten, plural indefinite let)

1. low-fat milk

Inflection

References

• “let,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l?d?]

Verb

let

1. imperative of lette

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the main entry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?le?d?]

Verb

let

1. past participle of le

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?t

Verb

let

1. first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of letten
2. imperative of letten

Anagrams

• tel

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English let.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?t/

Interjection

let

1. (tennis) indicates a let on service

Further reading

• “let” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin l?ctus, perfect passive participle of leg?.

Verb

let

1. past participle of lei- read

Gothic

Romanization

l?t

1. Romanization of ????????????

Irish

Alternative forms

• led

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l??t??/

Contraction

let (triggers lenition)

1. (Munster) Contraction of le do (“with your sg”).

Related terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse litr (“colour”), related to líta (“to see”)

Noun

let m (definite singular leten, indefinite plural leter, definite plural letene)

1. colour

Synonyms

• farge

Derived terms

• hamlet

Etymology 2

Verb

let

1. imperative of lete

References

• “let” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse litr (“colour”), from Proto-Germanic *wlitiz, *wlituz. Related to Old Norse líta (“to see”)

Alternative forms

• (non-standard since 2012) lett

Noun

let m (definite singular leten, indefinite plural leter or letar, definite plural letene or letane)

1. colour

   Synonym: farge

Derived terms

• hamlet

Etymology 2

Verb

let

1. present tense of la
2. present tense of lata and late
3. past tense of la
4. past tense of lata and late

Etymology 3

Verb

let

1. imperative of leta and lete

Further reading

• “let” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• elt, etl, lèt, lét, tel

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From lètjeti.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lê?t/

Noun

l?t m (Cyrillic spelling ????)

1. flight

Declension

Related terms

• lètjeti / lèteti

References

• “let” in Hrvatski jezi?ni portal

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l??t/

Noun

l?t m inan

1. flight

Inflection

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English leather.

Noun

let

1. leather
2. strap (of leather)
3. belt

Westrobothnian

Etymology 1

From Old Norse litr, from Proto-Germanic *wlitiz, *wlituz (“appearance, look, aspect”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to see”).

Noun

let m

1. colour
2. complexion

Synonyms

• leit n

Etymology 2

Verb

let

1. preterite singular of låt

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: thr?, IPA^(key): /????/, [??????]
• (US) enPR: thr?, IPA^(key): /??o?/, [????o?]
• Rhymes: -??
• Homophone: throe

Etymology 1

From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þr?wan (“to turn, twist, curl, rack, torture, turn around”), from Proto-West Germanic *þr?an, from Proto-Germanic *þr?an? (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh?- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate with Scots thraw (“to twist, turn, throw”), West Frisian triuwe (“to push”), Dutch draaien (“to turn”), Low German draien, dreien (“to turn (in a lathe)”), German drehen (“to turn”), Danish dreje (“to turn”), Swedish dreja (“to turn”), Albanian dredh (“to turn, twist, tremble”), Bulgarian ??????????? (izt?rvávam, “to drop”).

Verb

throw (third-person singular simple present throws, present participle throwing, simple past threw, past participle thrown)

1. (transitive) To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.

   Synonyms: bowl, bung, buzz, cast, catapult, chuck, dash, direct, fire, fling, flip, heave, hurl, launch, lob, pitch, project, propel, send, shoot, shy, sling, toss, whang

2. (transitive) To eject or cause to fall off.

   Synonyms: eject, throw off

3. (transitive) To move to another position or condition; to displace.

   Synonyms: displace, relocate

4. (ceramics) To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
5. (transitive, cricket, of a bowler) to deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
6. (transitive, computing) To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.

7. (sports, video games) To intentionally lose a game.
   • 2012, August 1. Peter Walker and Haroon Siddique in Guardian Unlimited, Eight Olympic badminton players disqualified for 'throwing games'

     Four pairs of women's doubles badminton players, including the Chinese top seeds, have been ejected from the Olympic tournament for trying to throw matches in an effort to secure a more favourable quarter-final draw.

   Synonym: take a dive

8. (transitive, informal) To confuse or mislead.
9. (figuratively) To send desperately.
10. (transitive) To imprison.
    • 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

      The plot of Felix was quickly discovered, and De Lacey and Agatha were thrown into prison.

    • 1993, Margaret McKee, Fred Chisenhall, Beale black & blue: life and music on black America's main street - Page 30

      The standard method of dealing with an addict was to arrest him, throw him into a cell, and leave him until the agonizing pangs of withdrawal were over.

11. To organize an event, especially a party.
    • 1979, Working Mother, July 1979, Page 72[1]

      Should you be interested, for whatever reason, it will tell you how to throw a party for your 40-year-old husband or your 100-year-old great-grandmother. It also describes games that can be played at various kinds of parties […]

12. (transitive, intransitive) To roll (a die or dice).
    • 1844, Samuel Laing translating Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla

      The kings came to the agreement between themselves that they would cast lots by the dice to determine who should have this property, and that he who threw the highest should have the district. The Swedish king threw two sixes, and said King Olaf need scarcely throw.

13. (transitive) To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
    • 1844, Samuel Laing translating Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla

      The kings came to the agreement between themselves that they would cast lots by the dice to determine who should have this property, and that he who threw the highest should have the district. The Swedish king threw two sixes, and said King Olaf need scarcely throw.

14. (transitive, bridge) To discard.
15. (martial arts) To lift the opponent off the ground and bring him back down, especially into a position behind the thrower.
16. (transitive, said of one's voice) To change in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else.
17. (transitive) To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
    • 1991, Janet L. Davies, Ellen Hastings Janosik, Mental health and psychiatric nursing: a caring approach

      Bill runs into the kitchen and tells Dad that Erik is throwing a tantrum. He tells Bill to go back and watch his program and to ignore his brother. Fifteen minutes later, Erik is still screaming […]

    • 1996, New York Magazine, Vol. 29, No. 32, 19 Aug 1996; Entertaining Mrs Stone

      In 1975, pregnant with the second of her three children, she threw a hissy fit to get on a trip to Boston for elected officials.

18. (transitive) To project or send forth.
19. To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
20. To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Tomlinson to this entry?)

21. (baseball, slang, of a team, a manager, etc.) To select (a pitcher); to assign a pitcher to a given role (such as starter or reliever).
    • 2009, Michael T. Lynch, Jr., It Ain't So: A Might-Have-Been History of the White Sox in 1919 and Beyond, page 63 ?ISBN

      I have a minor quibble with Gleason's decision to throw Lefty Williams in Game Eight with the Series in the balance.

22. (transitive) To install (a bridge).
    • 1860, Fredrika Bremer (trans. Mary Howitt), Life in the Old World, v. 1, p. 164.

      […] across the rapid smaragdus-green waters, pouring onward into the country, are thrown three bridges ...

23. (obsolete, Scotland, Northern England) To twist or turn.

24. (American football) Synonym of pass
25. (transitive) (of a punch or boxing combination) to deliver
    • 1941, Newsweek, Volume 18, p.54, [2]

      ···not only did I not want to throw a punch at him, I wanted to give him a solid silver token of thanks···

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:throw

Derived terms

Translations

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Noun

throw (plural throws)

1. The flight of a thrown object.

2. The act of throwing something.
   • 2006, Hans-Wolfgang Loidl, Trends in Functional Programming (volume 5, page 62)

     If the expression is a throw, we unwind the stack seeking a handler expression.

3. One's ability to throw.

4. A distance travelled; displacement.
   • 1947, James Jerome Gibson, Motion Picture Testing and Research (issue 7, page 49)

     The visibility of the screen image is affected by the length of throw of the projector, the type of projector, the intensity of the projector lamp, and the type of the screen.

5. A piece of fabric used to cover a bed, sofa or other soft furnishing.
6. A single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance.

Translations

Derived terms

• a stone's throw
• bike throw
• corner throw
• throw pillow
• throw-up

References

• Krueger, Dennis (December 1982). "Why On Earth Do They Call It Throwing?" Studio Potter Vol. 11, Number 1.[3]

Etymology 2

From Middle English throwe, alteration of thrawe, from Old English þr?wu (“labor pang, agony in childbirth or death”), akin to Old English þr?a (“affliction, pang”), þr?wan (“to suffer”). More at throe.

Noun

throw (plural throws)

1. Pain, especially pain associated with childbirth; throe.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

2. (veterinary) The act of giving birth in animals, especially in cows.

Verb

throw (third-person singular simple present throws, present participle throwing, simple past threw, past participle thrown)

1. (transitive, said of animals) To give birth to.
   • 1916, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: Volume 49

     At the end of the normal gestation period the cow threw two calf mummies as large as cats.

Etymology 3

From Middle English, from Old English þr?h, þr?g (“space of time, period, while”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Gothic ???????????????????????????? (þragjan, “to run”).

Noun

throw (plural throws)

1. (obsolete) A moment, time, occasion.
2. (obsolete) A period of time; a while.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.iv:

     Downe himselfe he layd / Vpon the grassie ground, to sleepe a throw; / The cold earth was his couch, the hard steele his pillow.

Synonyms

• stound

Etymology 4

Noun

throw (plural throws)

1. Obsolete form of throe.
   • 1806, The Evangelical Magazine (page 441)

     […] when we behold the fixed eye, the pale lips, the convulsive throws of death distorting the countenance; […]

Anagrams

• -worth, Worth, whort, worth, wroth