Etymograph

English

Skutnik

Skutnik comes from Romanian scuti ‘to absolve’, from scut ‘shield’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-‘to cut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*skei-‘to cut, split’reconstructedextension of *sek-
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscūtum‘shield’
  4. Romanianc. 1500–presentscut‘shield’
  5. Romanian, derivedc. 1500–presentscuti‘to absolve’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2001Skutnik

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-‘to cut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*skei-‘to cut, split’reconstructedextension of *sek-
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscūtum‘shield’
  4. Romanianc. 1500–presentscut‘shield’
  5. Romanian, derivedc. 1500–presentscuti‘to absolve’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2001Skutnik

Earliest quotation: 2001, William Safire, On Language: “When CNN’s Jeff Greenfield assured the crowd, “I haven't…”

The story

The name is thought to derive from Romanian scuti (‘to absolve’); compare Romanian Scutelnici. The common noun comes from Martin Leonard Skutnik III, a guest at the 1982 State of the Union address; see quotations below.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’

saw, sex, design, sign, section, ship, sexual, risk, seal, segment, sack, insect, scarlet, sawyer, sax, sickle, het, shingle, dissect, scythe, sich, seg, sedge, sigil, brassica, desiccation, sain, desiccant, 62 more

through Latin scūtum ‘shield’

squire, skew, scuttle, scullery, 15 more

Today it means

name A surname.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sek- / Skutnik

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