English
shortbread
Shortbread comes from English short ‘brittle, of pastry’, from Middle English schort ‘short’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut off, sever’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertaną1‘to cut off’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtaz1‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurt1‘short’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċort1‘short’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schort1‘short’
- English1500–presentshort1‘brittle, of pastry’
- Englishtodayshortbread1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English shortbread
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, English shortbread‘to cut off, sever’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertanąWiktionary, English shortbread‘to cut off’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtazWiktionary, English shortbread‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurtWiktionary, English shortbread‘short’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċortWiktionary, English shortbread‘short’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schortWiktionary, English shortbread‘short’
- English1500–presentshortWiktionary, English shortbread‘brittle, of pastry’
- EnglishtodayshortbreadWiktionary, English shortbread
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’
across, card, cross, cancer, share, screen, circle, circuit, score, crucial, curve, circus, circulation, scare, carnival, curb, scar, cancellation, scrutiny, circa, shrine, crest, incarceration, carnage, coronary, corona, scorpion, raffle, circulate, carcinoma, crux, shear, corolla, carnal, cirque, shred, scorn, riddance, shard, shrewd, 116 more
through Proto-Germanic *skertaną ‘to cut off’
through Proto-Germanic *skurtaz ‘short’
through Old English sċort ‘short’
Today it means
noun A type of biscuit (cookie), popular in Britain, traditionally made from one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “shortbread”. 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- / shortbread