Past tense of overthrow; knocked down forcefully, or removed a government or ruler from power.
From Old English 'ofer-' (over) + 'thrawan' (to throw). Compound verb structure dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. The political meaning (removing rulers) developed by the 16th century.
When you see 'overthrew' in historical context, it often describes moments that changed the world—the American Revolution overthrew British rule, the French Revolution overthrew the monarchy. The violence in the etymology (throwing over) matches the revolutionary violence of these events.
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