Origin of the Word “Jetty”

While fishing from a jetty, Maria in San Antonio, Texas, wondered about this name for a structure extending from the shore out into the water. The word jetty comes to us via the French word jeter, meaning “to throw” (the dance step called a tour jeté being a “thrown turn”), and is related to several other words involving the idea of throwing, including project, eject, interject, jettison, and jetsam. The word jetty may also apply to a part of a building that projects out from the main structure. Similarly, an adjective is a word “thrown against,” or added to, a noun. This is part of a complete episode.