the word 'strew' originates from the old english verb 'strēowian', meaning 'to scatter'. this old english term is derived from the proto-germanic 'strawjaną', which carries the same sense of scattering or spreading loosely. the verb is part of a family of related words, including 'straw', which originally referred to that which is strewn, and the past participle 'strewn'. the core semantic thread from its ancient germanic root to its modern usage consistently conveys the action of dispersing objects in a random, untidy manner.

this is a simplex word of old english origin. it functions as a verb.