Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “short” come from?

Short comes from Middle English schort, from Old English sċeort, from Proto-Germanic skurtaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- meaning to cut or separate.

short (English): Having a small distance from one end or edge to...

Definitions

  1. Having a small distance from one end or edge to...

Ancestry of “short”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishschortshort; short , brief, quick; ephemeral, having a...
2Old Englishsċeort—
3Proto-West Germanicskurtshort; lacking, deficient
4Proto-Germanicskurtazshort; lacking, deficient
5Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “short”

  • shortage
  • shortest
  • shortcut
  • shorthand
  • shortfall
  • shortcoming
  • shortwave
  • shortstop
  • ultrashort
  • shortgrass
  • shortbread
  • shorthanded
  • shortcake
  • shorty
  • shortchange
  • shortish
  • shortfin
  • shorthorn
  • shorthaired
  • shorthair
  • shortleaf
  • shorthold
  • shortsword
  • shortie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →