Where does “potshot” come from?
potshot (English) comes from English pot, from Middle English pot, from Old French pot, from Vulgar Latin pottum, from Frankish *pott, from Proto-Germanic puttaz, from Proto-Indo-European budn- — a kind of vessel; type of vessel; a type of...
potshot (English): A shot taken at an easy or random target;...
Definitions
- A shot taken at an easy or random target;...
Ancestry of “potshot”, step by step
potshot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pot | A flat-bottomed vessel used for cooking food;... |
| 2 | Middle English | pot | A pot; a circular receptacle or vessel; The top... |
| 3 | Old French | pot | pot; third-person singular present indicative of... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pottum | — |
| 5 | Frankish | *pott | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | puttaz | pot, jar, tub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | budn- | a kind of vessel; type of vessel; a type of... |
via English shot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shot | Worn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft... |
| 2 | Middle English | schot | A missile or projectile; a thrown or fired weapon |
| 3 | Old English | Scot | shot, act of shooting |
| 4 | Old Norse | skot | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skutą | shot |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewd- | to advance, push; to drive, propel |