Etymograph

English

shortness

Shortness comes from Old English sċort ‘short’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- ‘to cut up’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerdʰ-1‘to cut up’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertaną1‘to cut (off), shorten’uncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtaz2‘short’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurt2‘short’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċort3‘short’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċortnes4
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schortnesse4
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1956shortness4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skurtaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English scort
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English scortnes
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English shortness
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1956, Cecil J. Allen, British Locomotive Practice and Performance: “From time to time in both directions the engine…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kerdʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skurtaz‘to cut up’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertanąWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skurtaz‘to cut (off), shorten’uncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtazWiktionary, Old English scort‘short’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skurtWiktionary, Old English scort‘short’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċortWiktionary, Old English scortnes‘short’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċortnesWiktionary, English shortness
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schortnesseWiktionary, English shortness
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1956shortnessWiktionary, English shortness. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1956, Cecil J. Allen, British Locomotive Practice and Performance: “From time to time in both directions the engine…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- ‘to cut up’

herd, 2 more

through Proto-Germanic *skertaną ‘to cut (off), shorten’

scherzo, 2 more

through Proto-Germanic *skurtaz ‘short’

shirt, skirt, 2 more

through Old English sċort ‘short’

shortbread, 2 more

Today it means

noun The property of being short, of being small of stature or brief.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “shortness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *skurtaz, Old English scort, Old English scortnes. 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)kerdʰ- / shortness

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