Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shortage” come from?

Shortage comes from Middle English schort, from Old French -age, from Latin -aticum, from Latin -aticus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-.

shortage (English): A lack or deficiency; an insufficient amount

Definitions

  1. A lack or deficiency; an insufficient amount

Ancestry of “shortage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshortHaving a small distance from one end or edge to...
2Middle Englishschortshort; short , brief, quick; ephemeral, having a...
3Old Englishsċeort—
4Proto-West Germanicskurtshort; lacking, deficient
5Proto-Germanicskurtazshort; lacking, deficient
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →