Where does “screenshot” come from?
Screenshot is a modern English compound of screen and shot, ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic skutą meaning a projectile or hit, and Proto-Germanic skirmiz related to screening or protection.
screenshot (English): An image of computer or smartphone screen output...
Definitions
- An image of computer or smartphone screen output...
Ancestry of “screenshot”, step by step
screenshot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English screen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | screen | A physical divider intended to block an area from... |
| 2 | Middle English | scren | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | escren | firescreen, the tester of a bed; Alternative form... |
| 4 | Old French | escren | Alternative form of escran |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | scherm | protective screen; protection, cover |
| 6 | Old Dutch | skirm | protection |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | skirmi | fur, hide, pelt; covering, shelter, screen |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skirmiz | fur, hide, pelt; covering, shelter, screen |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
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 |