Shuttle
/ˈʃʌt.əl/noun
A device or vehicle that moves back and forth between two places, especially in weaving or transportation.
Did you know?Shuttle comes from Old English *sceotol* / *scyttel*, tied to the idea of shooting or darting, which is why the same root family also gave English words connected to hurling and movement.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skeud-
“to shoot, chase, or throw”
Old English
OE
scyttel
“a bolt, bar, or fastening device; also related to shooting/darting motion”
Middle English
ME
shitel / shuttle
“a weaver's bobbin or device shot through the threads”
16th Century
English
shuttle
“the bobbin or carrier thrown back and forth in weaving”
Modern English
English
shuttle
“something that moves repeatedly back and forth between two points”