Toss in Different Languages
Discover 'Toss' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'toss' is a versatile and dynamic term, with a variety of meanings and uses across different cultures and languages. At its core, 'toss' often refers to the act of throwing something in the air or moving it with a quick, abrupt motion. But this word can also describe a state of uncertainty or chaos, as in the phrase 'toss and turn' when referring to a restless night's sleep.
Throughout history, 'toss' has been used in numerous idiomatic expressions, such as 'tossing someone a lifeline' or 'tossing coins to make a decision.' These phrases highlight the word's significance in various cultural contexts and demonstrate its importance in communication.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translations of 'toss' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different societies view this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'toss' translates to 'tirar,' while in French, it becomes 'lancer' and in German, 'werfen.'
Exploring these translations can lead to a greater appreciation for the nuances and subtleties of language, as well as the unique cultural perspectives that shape our understanding of the world.
Toss
Toss in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gooi | ||
| The verb "gooi" is an example of a word with more than one etymon that has undergone semantic shifting over time. | |||
| Amharic | መወርወር | ||
| መወርወር can mean "to stir", "to mix", or "to agitate" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | jefa | ||
| The word "jefa" can also mean "to scatter" or "to sprinkle". | |||
| Igbo | itulielu | ||
| The word 'itulielu' is derived from the Igbo verb 'tuli', which means 'throw' or 'hurl'. | |||
| Malagasy | misamboaravoara | ||
| "Misamboaravoara" (Malagasy) is formed from "mi" (indicative), "samboara" (to turn around), and "voara" (to fall). It is also used for skipping or jumping rope. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ponya | ||
| The term 'ponya' can also refer to the act of putting something somewhere. | |||
| Shona | kukanda | ||
| The word "kukanda" can also mean "to shake" or "to stir" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | tuurid | ||
| The word comes from Arabic "twry" and can also mean "to turn". | |||
| Sesotho | lahlela | ||
| The word "lahlela" can also mean "to disperse" or "to be scattered." | |||
| Swahili | tupa | ||
| "Tupa" also means "to reject" or "to cast off" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | phosa | ||
| Xhosa 'phosa' derives from the Bantu root '*put-', meaning 'to throw' or 'to put', and is cognate with Zulu 'phonsa' and Venda 'phosa' | |||
| Yoruba | síwá | ||
| Síwá can also mean "to shake" or "to wave". | |||
| Zulu | phonsa | ||
| The word "phonsa" can also mean "scatter" or "disperse" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | toss (sɔgɔsɔgɔninjɛ). | ||
| Ewe | toss | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guta | ||
| Lingala | kobwaka | ||
| Luganda | okusuula | ||
| Sepedi | toss | ||
| Twi (Akan) | toss | ||
Toss in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رمى | ||
| The word "رمى" can also mean "to shoot" or "to throw stones" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לִזרוֹק | ||
| The word "לִזרוֹק" can also mean "to throw up" or "to vomit". | |||
| Pashto | ټاس | ||
| The word ټاس can also mean 'dice' or 'gambling' in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | رمى | ||
| The word "رمى" can also mean "to shoot" or "to throw stones" in Arabic. | |||
Toss in Western European Languages
| Albanian | hedh | ||
| The Albanian word "hedh" may also refer to the act of throwing or putting something down. | |||
| Basque | bota | ||
| The Basque word "bota" comes from the Latin "buttis", meaning "vessel". | |||
| Catalan | tirar | ||
| The Catalan word "tirar" comes from the Latin "trahere", meaning "to drag" or "to pull". It can also mean "to shoot" or "to throw" in some contexts. | |||
| Croatian | bacanje | ||
| The word "bacanje" can also refer to a type of dance or to a type of traditional Croatian bread. | |||
| Danish | smid væk | ||
| The Danish verb "smid væk" can also mean "drop" or "discard". | |||
| Dutch | toss | ||
| The Dutch word "gooien" has a broader meaning than the English word "toss" and can also mean "to throw" | |||
| English | toss | ||
| The word "toss" can also refer to the act of throwing something gently or casually, or to the act of moving something back and forth quickly and lightly. | |||
| French | lancer | ||
| In French, "lancer" also means "to launch" or "to throw" something, and is derived from the Latin word "lancea", meaning "spear". | |||
| Frisian | toss | ||
| In the Frisian language "toss" can mean both "toss" and "to move something quickly and carelessly". | |||
| Galician | tirar | ||
| In Galician, "tirar" derives from Latin "trahere" (to drag) and also means "to shoot" a gun or similar projectile. | |||
| German | werfen | ||
| "Werfen" is cognate with "wharp," "warp," "wharf," "whorl," "whirlpool," "overwhelm," "warp speed," "warp and woof" and "whorf" (as in Benjamin Lee Whorf). | |||
| Icelandic | kasta | ||
| "Kasta" also means "to discard" or "to throw away" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | toss | ||
| The Irish word "toss" can mean either "throw" or "to toss a coin". | |||
| Italian | lanciare | ||
| "Lanciare" can also be used to mean "to launch," "to hurl," or "to cast." | |||
| Luxembourgish | geheien | ||
| The word "geheien" in Luxembourgish can also mean "to name" or "to order". | |||
| Maltese | tarmi | ||
| The Maltese word "tarmi" originates from the Arabic word "tarha," which means "to abandon or give up." | |||
| Norwegian | slenge | ||
| The word 'slenge' also means 'to insult' or 'to make fun of', and is derived from the Danish word 'slæng' meaning 'insult' or 'mockery'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sorteio | ||
| "Sorteio" is Portuguese for "toss," but can also mean "lottery," "raffle," or "drawing." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | toss | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'toss' can also mean 'to search' or 'to examine'. | |||
| Spanish | sacudida | ||
| In Spanish, "sacudida" means "toss" but also "shaking", "convulsion", or "jerk". | |||
| Swedish | kasta | ||
| Kasta also means "to throw" and its origins are likely from the Proto-Germanic word *kastą. | |||
| Welsh | taflu | ||
| The word "taflu" also means "to stumble." | |||
Toss in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падкідваць | ||
| The word "падкідваць" (toss) in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *podmetati, meaning "to throw under". | |||
| Bosnian | baciti | ||
| Baciti derives from the Turkish word 'bacmak' meaning 'to look'. It also means 'to throw' in slang. | |||
| Bulgarian | хвърляне | ||
| The Bulgarian word "хвърляне" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*xŭvьrtati". It can also mean "throwing" or "casting". | |||
| Czech | hození | ||
| The word "hození" shares its etymology with the words "hodit" (to throw) and "házet" (to keep throwing), all originating from the Proto-Slavic root *met- (*to throw). | |||
| Estonian | viskama | ||
| "Viskama" is often used figuratively to describe throwing something away or getting rid of something. | |||
| Finnish | nakata | ||
| "Nakata" is thought to originate from the Finnish word "nakki," meaning "sausage," referring to the tossing of a piece of sausage in a frying pan. | |||
| Hungarian | dobás | ||
| The word "dobás" in Hungarian can also refer to the act of drumming or the sound of a drumbeat. | |||
| Latvian | mētāt | ||
| The word "mētāt" can also mean "to churn (milk)" or "to roll (dice)" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | mėtyti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "mėtyti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *met- "to throw" and also means "to fling" or "to scatter". | |||
| Macedonian | фрли | ||
| In Slavic languages, this word derives from the Proto-Slavic verb *vьrgati, which also means to throw or cast. | |||
| Polish | podrzucenie | ||
| The word "podrzucenie" can also mean "embezzlement" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | arunca | ||
| The word 'arunca' may be related to the Sanskrit word 'arjunati', meaning 'throws'. Additionally, it is a toponym in Spain. | |||
| Russian | бросать | ||
| The word "бросать" comes from the Old Russian word "борсати", which meant "to throw, to scatter". In modern Russian, the word "бросать" can also have the figurative meaning "to abandon, to leave". | |||
| Serbian | бацити | ||
| The word "бацити" derives from the Slavic root "*met-/", meaning "to cast" or "to throw", and is related to words such as "метати" (to throw) and "метла" (a broom). | |||
| Slovak | hodiť | ||
| The Slovak word "hodiť" comes from the Old Slavic word "hoditi", which meant "to go" or "to move." | |||
| Slovenian | premetavati | ||
| The word "premetavati" in Slovenian shares the same root with the word "metati", which means "to throw". | |||
| Ukrainian | підкидати | ||
| "Підкидати" also means to abandon (a child). | |||
Toss in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | টস | ||
| In Bengali, the word "টস" (toss) can also refer to the act of stirring or shaking something, or to the result of a chance event. | |||
| Gujarati | ટssસ | ||
| The Gujarati word "ટśસ" ("toss") can also refer to the act of scattering or throwing something in a random or careless manner. | |||
| Hindi | टॉस | ||
| The Hindi word "टॉस" also means "to show off" or "to boast". | |||
| Kannada | ಟಾಸ್ | ||
| The word "ಟಾಸ್" also means "to boast" or "to show off" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ടോസ് | ||
| In Malayalam, the word 'ടോസ്' (toss) also refers to the act of flipping a coin, a dice, or any similar object to make a random decision. | |||
| Marathi | नाणेफेक | ||
| In Marathi, "नाणेफेक" also means "guessing game", or "betting game" with a toss as its starting point. | |||
| Nepali | टस | ||
| The word "टस" can also mean "to move slightly" or "to hesitate" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਟਾਸ | ||
| The word "ਟਾਸ" comes from the English word "toss," which means to throw something lightly or casually. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාසියේ වාසිය | ||
| "කාසියේ වාසිය" literally translates to "the residence of the coin", referring to the act of tossing a coin up in the air to make a decision. | |||
| Tamil | டாஸ் | ||
| The origin of the word 'டாஸ்' might be the same as the English word 'toss' which describes an up and down motion or the sound of coins being flipped. | |||
| Telugu | టాసు | ||
| The word "toss" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "tasyati," meaning "to throw down." | |||
| Urdu | ٹاس | ||
| The Urdu word "ٹاس" also refers to a "task" or "duty" assigned to an individual, further implying its weight and responsibility. | |||
Toss in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 折腾 | ||
| The second character of 折腾 is 腾 (téng) which has the alternate meaning of 'upward' or 'soaring'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 折騰 | ||
| 折騰 in Chinese can also mean "make trouble" or "bother someone" | |||
| Japanese | 投げ捨てる | ||
| "投げ捨てる" also refers to the act of discarding items. | |||
| Korean | 던져 올림 | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "던져 올림" can also refer to a pitching motion in baseball or a quick upward throw of a ball or other object. | |||
| Mongolian | шидэх | ||
| In Mongolian the verb 'шидэх' can also be used to mean 'throw something away'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပစ်ချ | ||
| The word "ပစ်ချ" can also mean to throw something away or to discard something. | |||
Toss in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | melemparkan | ||
| "Melemparkan" comes from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*ləmpar", meaning "to throw". | |||
| Javanese | nguncalake | ||
| The word "nguncalake" can also mean "throw away" or "cast off". | |||
| Khmer | បោះ | ||
| The Khmer word "បោះ" can also mean "to throw away" or "to abandon". | |||
| Lao | ການຖີ້ມ | ||
| Malay | lambung | ||
| The word "lambung" can also refer to the body of a ship, a side, or the act of rolling or tumbling. | |||
| Thai | โยน | ||
| In Thai, "โยน" can also mean "to throw away" or "to discard". | |||
| Vietnamese | quăng | ||
| "Quăng" also means "to throw into a large body of water and abandon" or "to be at someone's mercy" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ihagis | ||
Toss in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | atmaq | ||
| In colloquial speech, "atmaq" can also refer to "to tell" or "to shoot". | |||
| Kazakh | лақтыру | ||
| The word "лақтыру" also refers to the action of flicking or snapping something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ыргытуу | ||
| The Kyrgyz word ыргытуу ("toss") also means "to wave", "to shake", or "to swing". | |||
| Tajik | партофтан | ||
| The word "партофтан" is derived from the Persian word "پریدن" (paridan) meaning "to fly" or "to jump". | |||
| Turkmen | zyňmak | ||
| Uzbek | otish | ||
| Otish can also mean "to shoot" or "to throw" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | تاشلاش | ||
Toss in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolei | ||
| In Hawaiian, "hoʻolei" not only means "to toss" but also "to throw away, discard, or fling about carelessly." | |||
| Maori | maka | ||
| In Maori, the word "maka" has additional meanings such as "seed" or "sprout". | |||
| Samoan | togi | ||
| Togī (toss) can also mean 'to lift up slightly' (e.g. the eyebrows) or 'to nod' (in agreement). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magtapon | ||
| Magtapon, which shares its roots with 'tapon' ('throw'), literally means 'to cause something to be thrown'. | |||
Toss in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | toss ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | toss rehegua | ||
Toss in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĵeti | ||
| The Esperanto verb ĵeti comes from the French word jeter, which means “to throw” or “to cast”. It can also be used in a figurative sense, such as to “throw away” or “to abandon” something. | |||
| Latin | iactare | ||
| The word "iactare" in Latin also meant "to boast" or "to brag" and was used in this context more frequently than "to toss". | |||
Toss in Others Languages
| Greek | τινάσσω | ||
| In Greek, "τινάσσω" is related to the noun "τιναγμός", meaning "vibration". | |||
| Hmong | pov pov | ||
| The Hmong word "pov pov" can also be used to describe the act of pouring water or scattering rice. | |||
| Kurdish | avêtin | ||
| The word "avêtin" in Kurdish is derived from the Middle Persian word "āftīdan" meaning "to be thrown, to be flung, to be cast, to be projected, to be dashed, to be dropped, to be hurled, to be shot, to be fired, to be propelled, to be sent, to be launched, to be emitted, to be released, to be discharged, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled, to be poured, to be scattered, to be dispersed, to be spread, to be shed, to be spilled | |||
| Turkish | atmak | ||
| Xhosa | phosa | ||
| Xhosa 'phosa' derives from the Bantu root '*put-', meaning 'to throw' or 'to put', and is cognate with Zulu 'phonsa' and Venda 'phosa' | |||
| Yiddish | וואָרף | ||
| The Yiddish word "וואָרף" ("varf") can also refer to a piece of clothing that is torn or discarded. | |||
| Zulu | phonsa | ||
| The word "phonsa" can also mean "scatter" or "disperse" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | টছ | ||
| Aymara | toss ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | टॉस कर दिहल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓޮސް | ||
| Dogri | टॉस कर दे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ihagis | ||
| Guarani | toss rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | i-toss | ||
| Krio | toss | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تۆس | ||
| Maithili | टॉस करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯁ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | toss a ni | ||
| Oromo | toss gochuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟସ୍ | ||
| Quechua | toss | ||
| Sanskrit | टोस् | ||
| Tatar | ыргыту | ||
| Tigrinya | ቶስ ምግባር | ||
| Tsonga | ku hoxa | ||