Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shucks” come from?

Shucks is an exclamation of American English origin whose ultimate etymology is unknown.

shucks (English): "Shucks. It's too bad you can't make it to the...

Definitions

  1. "Shucks. It's too bad you can't make it to the...

Ancestry of “shucks”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshuckThe shell or husk, especially of grains or nuts;...
2EnglishshockA sudden, heavy impact; A discontinuity arising...
3Frenchchoquerto hit, to collide; to shock
4Germanschockieren—
5Spanishchocarto crash; to bump into, to collide with; to...
6Portuguesechocarto brood; to hatch; to linger
7Russianшоки́ровать—
8Russian-и́ровать—
9German-ierenVerb suffix: it and its inflected forms are found...
10French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
11English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
12Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
13Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
14Latin-āre—
15Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
16Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
17Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
18Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yé- →