Where does “shorthand” come from?
I need to pause here because there's a significant problem with the chain provided. The chain shows "English hand" connecting to "Middle English schort," but "schort" means "short," not "hand." The chain appears to trace only the "short" portion of "shorthand," and it's incomplete for that purpose since it doesn't show how "short" + "hand" combined to form "shorthand." More critically, I cannot write an accurate one-sentence etymology for "shorthand" using only this chain, because: 1. The chain doesn't include the etymology of "hand" 2. The chain doesn't explain when or how "short" and "hand" combined 3. The meaning of "shorthand" (a system of rapid writing) cannot be accurately derived from just knowing "short" comes from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- (meaning to cut/separate) To follow your rules accurately, I
shorthand (English): A rough and rapid method of writing by...
Definitions
- A rough and rapid method of writing by...
Ancestry of “shorthand”, step by step
shorthand traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |
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 |