Where does “short” come from?

short (Middle English) comes from Middle English schort, from Old English sċeort, from Proto-West Germanic skurt, from Proto-Germanic skurtaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- — dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth.

short (Middle English): Alternative form of schort

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of schort

Ancestry of “short”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishschortshort as opposed to being tall or long
2Old Englishsċeort—
3Proto-West Germanicskurtshort; lacking, deficient
4Proto-Germanicskurtazshort; lacking, deficient
5Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skurtaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic skurt →