Where does “shortwave” come from?
Shortwave is a compound of English short and wave, where short derives from Middle English schort, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- meaning to cut or divide.
shortwave (English): Having a wavelength of approximately 10 to 100...
Definitions
- Having a wavelength of approximately 10 to 100...
Ancestry of “shortwave”, step by step
shortwave traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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 |
via English wave
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wave | To move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat... |
| 2 | Middle English | wawe | A wave; Any sort of flowing or spurting motion;... |
| 3 | Old English | wǣġ | a weight; a tool for weighing, balance, scale |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wēgaz | wave; sea |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |