Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To place in a specified location; set.
  • intransitive verb To cause to be in a specified condition.
  • intransitive verb To cause (one) to undergo something; subject.
  • intransitive verb To assign; attribute.
  • intransitive verb To estimate.
  • intransitive verb To impose or levy.
  • intransitive verb Games To wager (a stake); bet.
  • intransitive verb Sports To hurl with an overhand pushing motion.
  • intransitive verb To bring up for consideration or judgment.
  • intransitive verb To express; state.
  • intransitive verb To render in a specified language or literary form.
  • intransitive verb To adapt.
  • intransitive verb To urge or force to an action.
  • intransitive verb To apply.
  • intransitive verb To force the purchase of (a stock or commodity) by exercising a put option.
  • intransitive verb To begin to move, especially in a hurry.
  • intransitive verb Nautical To proceed.
  • noun Sports An act of putting the shot.
  • noun An option to sell a stipulated amount of stock or securities within a specified time and at a fixed price.
  • adjective Fixed; stationary.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English putten, back-formation from Old English *pūtte, past tense of pȳtan, to put out.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English putten, puten, poten, from Old English *putian, *pūtian ("to push, put out"; attested by derivative putung ("pushing, impulse, instigation, urging")) and potian ("to push, thrust, strike, butt, goad"), both from Proto-Germanic *putōnan (“to stick, stab”), from Proto-Indo-European *bud- (“to shoot, sprout”). Compare also related Old English pȳtan ("to push, poke, thrust, put out (the eyes)"). Cognate with Dutch poten ("to set, plant"), Danish putte ("to put"), Swedish putta, pötta, potta ("to strike, knock, push gently, shove, put away"), Norwegian putte ("to set, put"), Norwegian pota ("to poke"), Icelandic pota ("to poke"), Dutch peuteren ("to pick, poke around, dig, fiddle with"), Sanskrit  (bunda, "arrow").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old French pute.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Origin unknown.

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