Where does “short shrift” come from?
short shrift (English) comes from English shrift, from Old English sċrift, from Old English sċrīfan, from Proto-West Germanic skrīban, from Proto-Germanic skrībaną, from Latin scrībō, from Proto-Italic skreiβō, from Proto-Indo-European skreybʰ- — to write.
short shrift (English): A quick rejection or dismissal, especially one...
Definitions
- A quick rejection or dismissal, especially one...
Ancestry of “short shrift”, step by step
short shrift traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shrift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shrift | The act of going to or hearing a religious... |
| 2 | Old English | sċrift | what is prescribed as punishment; penalty |
| 3 | Old English | sċrīfan | 1. to decree, pass judgement, prescribe, 2. to... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skrīban | to write |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skrībaną | to write |
| 6 | Latin | scrībō | to write |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | skreiβō | to carve |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | skreybʰ- | to write |
via English short
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | short | Having a small distance from one end or edge to... |
| 2 | Middle English | schort | short as opposed to being tall or long |
| 3 | Old English | sċeort | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skurt | short; lacking, deficient |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skurtaz | short; lacking, deficient |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |