Etymograph

English

shotshell

From shot + shell.

A compound of shot + shell

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ‘to cut, split’

Proto-Germanic *skaljō ‘shell, husk’

Proto-West Germanic *skallju

Old English sċiell

Middle English schelle

English shell

Today it means

noun A shotgun cartridge.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “shotshell”. 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 / shotshell