Shallow
/ˈʃæloʊ/noun
Having little depth; not deep.
Did you know?Shallow comes from Old English *sceald*, a word tied to the idea of being low or not deep, and it has nothing to do with hidden spells—just a very old way of measuring space.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“To cut, split, or shear”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skalaz
“Shallow, shoal, or low-lying”
Old English
OE
sceald
“Shallow; not deep”
Middle English
ME
shalowe
“Shallow water or a shallow place”
Modern English
English
shallow
“Having little depth; not deep”