Etymograph

English

shirt

Shirt comes from Old English sċyrte ‘a short garment’, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ, from *skurtaz ‘short’, from *skertaną ‘to cut off’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut off’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertaną1‘to cut off’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtaz1‘short’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtijǭ1‘skirt, apron’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurtijā1‘skirt, apron’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċyrte1‘a short garment’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schirt1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1509shirt1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English shirt
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1509, John Fisher: “She had her shertes & gyrdyls of heere.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, English shirt‘to cut off’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertanąWiktionary, English shirt‘to cut off’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtazWiktionary, English shirt‘short’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtijǭWiktionary, English shirt‘skirt, apron’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurtijāWiktionary, English shirt‘skirt, apron’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċyrteWiktionary, English shirt‘a short garment’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schirtWiktionary, English shirt
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1509shirtWiktionary, English shirt. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1509, John Fisher: “She had her shertes & gyrdyls of heere.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off’

across, card, cross, cancer, share, screen, score, circle, crucial, circuit, curve, scare, carnival, curb, circulation, scar, cancellation, scrutiny, circus, crest, shrine, corona, scorpion, incarceration, carnage, circa, raffle, carcinoma, corolla, scorn, shear, crux, shred, carnal, circulate, riddance, crepe, carnivorous, shrewd, corgi, 115 more

through Proto-Germanic *skertaną ‘to cut off’

shortly, shortness, scherzo, shortbread

through Proto-Germanic *skurtaz ‘short’

short, 3 more

through Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ ‘a short garment, skirt, apron’

skirt

Another origin of shirt

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerdʰ-‘to cut up’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertaną‘to cut (off), shorten’uncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtaz‘short’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtijǭ‘skirt, apron’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurtijā‘skirt, apron’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċyrte‘a short garment’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schirte
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schirten‘to cover (something) in a manner reminiscent of a shirt’
  9. Englishtodayshirt

Today it means

noun An article of clothing that is worn on the upper part of the body, often with sleeves that cover some or all of the arms.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “shirt”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / shirt

Shirt and support for this word