Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “scattershot” come from?

scattershot (English) comes from English shot, from Middle English schot, from Old English Scot, from Old Norse skot, from Proto-Germanic skutą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewd- — to advance, push; to drive, propel.

scattershot (English): Covering a broad range in a random and...

Definitions

  1. Covering a broad range in a random and...

Ancestry of “scattershot”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshotWorn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft...
2Middle Englishschot—
3Old EnglishScotScot
4Old Norseskot—
5Proto-Germanicskutąshot
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kewd-to advance, push; to drive, propel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewd- →