Short
/ʃɔːrt/noun
Measuring a small distance from end to end; not tall; brief in time or length.
Did you know?English short ultimately comes from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “cut” or “shear,” so its history is tied to the idea of something made smaller by cutting away.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut, to shear”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skurtaz
“short, cut short”
Old English
English
sceort
“short, not long; brief”
Middle English
English
short
“short in length or duration”
Modern English
English
short
“measuring little in length or duration”