hurtle

Etymology 1

The verb is derived from Middle English hurtelen, hurtlen (“to cast, hurl, throw; to charge at; to clash in combat, fight; to collide; to injure; to knock down; to propel, push, thrust; to rush; to stumble”) [and other forms], from hurten (“to injure, wound, hurt (physically or figuratively); to damage, impair; to hurt one’s feelings, humiliate; to receive an injury; to collide into; to propel, push, thrust; to stumble”) (see further at English hurt (verb)) + -el-, -elen (diminutive, frequentative, or intensifying suffix). The English word is analysable as hurt (“(obsolete) to knock; to strike”) + -le (diminutive, frequentative, or intensifying suffix). The noun is derived from the verb.

verb

1. (transitive, archaic)
   1. To propel or throw (something) hard or violently; to fling, to hurl.
      He hurtled the wad of paper angrily at the trash can and missed by a mile.
      Away, thou east wind, snarling like a scold! / […] / Now, like sheep-shearer, from some mountain fold, / Thou hurtlest air with twisting, fleecy flakes / Of martial snow, that like a tyrant bold, / His pleasure in his neighbour's vineyard takes, / Nor careth for the wreck that everywhere he makes. 1882, Charles Miller, “The Delaying Spring”, in The Three Scholars and Other Poems, Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot,[…], →OCLC, page 58
   2. To cause (someone or something) to collide with or hit another person or thing; or (two people or things) to collide with or hit each other.
   3. (figurative) To attack or criticize (someone) verbally or in writing.
2. (intransitive)
   1. To move rapidly, violently, or without control, especially in a noisy manner.
      The car hurtled down the hill at 90 miles per hour.
      Pieces of broken glass hurtled through the air.
   2. (archaic)
      1. Of a person or thing: to collide with or hit another person or thing, especially with force or violence; also, of two people or things: to collide together; to clash.
      2. To make a sound of things clashing or colliding together; to clatter, to rattle; hence, to move with such a sound.
         The greater number abandon their untenable position of hardihood, and seek a shelter when the terrible storm hurtleth in the heavens, and they see its dismal preparation. 1823, Edward Irving, “Of Judgment to Come. Part IX. The Review of the Whole Argument, with an Endeavour to Bring It home to the Sons of Men.”, in For the Oracles of God, Four Orations. For Judgment to Come, an Argument, in Nine Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] T. Hamilton,[…], →OCLC, page 535
      3. (figurative) Of two people, etc.: to meet in a shocking or violent encounter; to clash; to jostle.

noun

1. (countable) An act of colliding with or hitting; a collision.
2. (countable, also figurative) A rapid or uncontrolled movement; a dash, a rush.
   [T]he war woke me up, I began to move left, and recent events have accelerated that move until it is now a hurtle. 1975, William Howard Gass, quotee, “GASS, WILLIAM H(OWARD)”, in John Wakeman, editor, World Authors 1950–1970[…] (Authors Series), New York, N.Y.: The H[alsey] W[illiam] Wilson Company, page 538, column 1
3. (countable) A sound of clashing or colliding; a clattering, a rattling.
   There came a hurtle of wings, a flash of bright feathers, and a great pigeon with slate-grey plumage and a neck bright as an opal, lit on a swaying finial. 1913, Eden Phillpotts, chapter IV, in Widecombe Fair, London: John Murray,[…], →OCLC, page 26
4. (uncountable, figurative) (Violent) disagreement; conflict.

Etymology 2

Possibly a clipping of hurtleberry, from Middle English hurtil-beri (“bilberry or blue whortleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus); berry of this shrub”); further etymology unknown, compare Middle English horten, hurten (“bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)”), and Old English horte (“bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)”).

noun

1. (obsolete, rare) Synonym of hurtleberry or whortleberry (“any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Vaccinium; a berry of one of these shrubs”)