Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sixshooter” come from?

sixshooter (English) comes from English shooter, from English shoot, from Middle English shoten, from Old English sċēotan, from Proto-West Germanic skeutan, from Proto-Germanic skeutaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewd- — to advance, push; to drive, propel.

sixshooter (English): Alternative form of six-shooter

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of six-shooter

Ancestry of “sixshooter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshooterSomeone who shoots something; a gunner, archer...
2EnglishshootTo launch a projectile; To move or act quickly or...
3Middle Englishshoten—
4Old Englishsċēotanto shoot
5Proto-West Germanicskeutanto shoot
6Proto-Germanicskeutanąto shoot
7Proto-Indo-European(s)kewd-to advance, push; to drive, propel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewd- →