Where does “short circuit” come from?

short circuit (English) comes from English circuit, from Middle English circuit, from Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus, from Latin circumeō, from Latin eō, from Proto-Italic eō, from Proto-Italic ejō — to go.

short circuit (English): A usually unintentional connection of low...

Definitions

  1. A usually unintentional connection of low...

Ancestry of “short circuit”, step by step

short circuit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English circuit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcircuitThe act of moving or revolving around, or as in a...
2Middle Englishcircuit
3Old Frenchcircuit
4Latincircuituspatrol; circuit; revolution
5Latincircumeōto go, travel or march around; to circulate
6Latinto go, to fare, to move (oneself) (any kind of animate or inanimate motion: walk, ride, sail, fly, etc.)
7Proto-ItalicI go
8Proto-Italicejō
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁éytito go, to be going
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ey-to go

via English short

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshortHaving a small distance from one end or edge to...
2Middle Englishschortshort as opposed to being tall or long
3Old Englishsċeort
4Proto-West Germanicskurtshort; lacking, deficient
5Proto-Germanicskurtazshort; lacking, deficient

Words derived from “short circuit

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ey-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁éytiEvery word from Proto-Italic ejō