Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “scissors” come from?

Scissors comes from Middle English sisoures, from Old French cisoires, from Vulgar Latin cisoria, from Latin cisorium, ultimately from Latin caedo meaning "to cut" via the root Proto-Indo-European kh₂eyd-.

scissors (English): A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting...

Definitions

  1. A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting...

Ancestry of “scissors”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscissorOne blade on a pair of scissors; Scissors; Used...
2Latinscindō—
3Proto-Italicskindōto cut, to tear, to rend, to separate
4Proto-Indo-Europeanskinédtito be cutting off
5Proto-Indo-Europeansḱeyd-to shade; to cut off; to part with, separate, cut...
6Proto-Indo-Europeansḱēy-to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,...
7Proto-Germanicskaidąseparation, distinction
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanskÁit-to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,...

Words derived from “scissors”

  • scissor
  • scissoring
  • microscissors
  • scissorlike
  • scissortail
  • scissorbill
  • scissorwise
  • sciss
  • scissorer
  • scissorstail
  • grafting scissors
  • cizo
  • cizagar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European skÁit- →