Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shorn” come from?

Shorn comes from Old English sċieran, from Proto-West Germanic skeran, from Proto-Germanic skeraną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, ultimately from the root sek- meaning to cut or separate.

shorn (English): past participle of shear

Definitions

  1. past participle of shear

Ancestry of “shorn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshearTo cut, originally with a sword or other bladed...
2Middle EnglishschyreAlternative form of shire; bright, shimmering,...
3Old Englishsċīrbright; shire; county
4Old Englishburnastream
5Proto-West Germanicbrunnōwell, spring
6Proto-Germanicbrunnôsource; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰréh₁wr̥well, spring, source
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrewh₁-to boil; to brew
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

Words derived from “shorn”

  • unshorn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →