Shack
/ʃæk/noun
A small, roughly built hut or cabin; also, a shabby or cramped place to live.
Did you know?“Shack” is likely connected to a family of words meaning a rough shelter or covering, and its exact origin is uncertain, which makes it one of those humble words with a shadowy, patchwork history.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
shack
“a crude hut, shed, or rough dwelling”
Early Modern English
English
shack
“a rough or flimsy shelter; also, a loose or shabby condition”
Middle English
English
schakke
“a rough covering or flimsy shelter (attested in dialectal and related forms)”
Old English / Germanic
Germanic
*skakkaz
“possibly related to something loose, shaky, or hasty-built”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split, separate; the deeper root behind several words for splitting or rough making”