Where does “shard” come from?

Shard comes from Middle English scherd, from Proto-Germanic skardą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, ultimately from the root sek- meaning to cut or separate.

shard (English): A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially...

Definitions

  1. A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially...

Ancestry of “shard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishshardAlternative form of scherd
2Old Englishsċearda broken piece; shard; gap, cut, notch
3Proto-Germanicskardąnotch; nick
4Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “shard”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skardą →Every word from Old English sċeard →