Where does “snapshot” come from?

Snapshot comes from English shot and Dutch snappen, ultimately from Proto-Germanic skutą, meaning a quick or sudden action.

snapshot (English): A photograph, especially one taken quickly or in...

Definitions

  1. A photograph, especially one taken quickly or in...

Ancestry of “snapshot”, step by step

snapshot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English shot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshotWorn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft...
2Middle EnglishschotA missile or projectile; a thrown or fired weapon
3Old EnglishScotshot, act of shooting
4Old Norseskot—
5Proto-Germanicskutąshot
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kewd-to advance, push; to drive, propel

via English snap

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnapA quick breaking or cracking sound or the action...
2Dutchsnappento get, to understand; to catch in the act
3Middle Dutchsnappen—

Words derived from “snapshot”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewd- →