Etymograph

English

skirt

Skirt comes from Old Norse skyrta ‘shirt’, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ ‘apron’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut off’reconstructed
  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‘apron’reconstructed
  5. Old Norsec. 800–1350skyrta1‘shirt’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scyrt1
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600skirt1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English skirt
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It: “here in the skirts of the forest, like fringe…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, English skirt‘to cut off’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertanąWiktionary, English skirt‘to cut off’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtazWiktionary, English skirt‘short’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtijǭWiktionary, English skirt‘apron’reconstructed
  5. Old Norsec. 800–1350skyrtaWiktionary, English skirt‘shirt’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scyrtWiktionary, English skirt
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600skirtWiktionary, English skirt. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It: “here in the skirts of the forest, like fringe…”

Linked words

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

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

through Proto-Germanic *skertaną ‘to cut off’

shortly, shortness, shortbread, scherzo

through Proto-Germanic *skurtaz ‘short’

short, 3 more

through Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ ‘apron’

shirt

Today it means

noun A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “skirt”. 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- / skirt

Shirt and support for this word