Where does “shounten” come from?

shounten (Middle English) comes from Middle English shonen, from Old English scunian, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- — to cover, bedeck; cover.

Ancestry of “shounten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishshonendecline to do, avoid, fear; to decline to do,...
2Old Englishscunianto shun; avoid; to hate; abhor; detest
3Proto-Indo-European(s)kewH-to cover, bedeck; cover
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- →Every word from Old English scunian →Every word from Middle English shonen →