Where does “shortestness” come from?
shortestness (English) comes from English shortest, from English short, from Middle English schort, from Old English sċeort, from Proto-West Germanic skurt, from Proto-Germanic skurtaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- — dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth.
shortestness (English): The quality of being shortest
Definitions
- The quality of being shortest
Ancestry of “shortestness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | shortest | superlative form of short: most short; Least in... |
| 2 | English | short | Having a small distance from one end or edge to... |
| 3 | Middle English | schort | short; short , brief, quick; ephemeral, having a... |
| 4 | Old English | sċeort | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skurt | short; lacking, deficient |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skurtaz | short; lacking, deficient |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |