English
shapechanger
From shape + changer.
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kep- ‘to split, cut’
Proto-Germanic *gaskapą
Proto-West Germanic *gaskap
Old English ġesceap ‘shape, form; creation’
Middle English schap
English shape
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱh₂embos ‘crooked’
…
Old French changier ‘to change’
Anglo-Norman chaungier
Middle English chaungen ‘to change’
Middle English chaungere ‘moneychanger’
English changer
Today it means
noun A creature that can supernaturally change its physical form.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “shapechanger”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / shapechanger