Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “skerren” come from?

skerren (Middle English) comes from Old Norse skirra, from Proto-Germanic skirzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- — dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth.

skerren (Middle English): to frighten

Definitions

  1. to frighten

Ancestry of “skerren”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseskirrafrighten; to frighten; to shrink away from, shun;...
2Proto-Germanicskirzijanąto shoo, scare off
3Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “skerren”

  • scared
  • sheer
  • scare
  • scary
  • scarecrow
  • scarily
  • unscared
  • scariness
  • sheerness
  • scarer
  • scaremonger
  • scarest
  • ascared
  • unscary
  • scaredness
  • scareth
  • semisheer
  • scaredly
  • scarecrowlike
  • scaresome
  • scarecrowish
  • nonscary
  • scarefest
  • ultrasheer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →