Shot
/ʃɒt/noun
A sudden discharge of a projectile or firearm, or a single serving of liquor.
Did you know?The drink sense of “shot” arose much later than the weapon sense, but both trace back to the old Germanic idea of something being thrown or propelled forward with force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skutanan
“to shoot, hurl, or thrust forward”
Old English
OE
scēotan
“to shoot, cast, launch, or move swiftly”
Middle English
ME
shot
“an act of shooting; something fired or projected”
16th Century
English
shot
“a projectile, discharge of a gun, or the act of firing”
19th Century
English
shot
“a small serving of liquor; a quick drink”