Etymograph

English

scissors

Scissors comes from Late Latin cīsōrium ‘cutting tool’, from caedō ‘to cut’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂eyd-‘to cut, hew’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂éydetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaidō‘to cut, hew, fell’reconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcaedō‘to cut’
  5. Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEcīsōrium‘cutting tool’
  6. Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEcīsōriaplural of cīsōrium
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cisoirs
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sisours
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1907scissors

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂eyd-‘to cut, hew’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂éydetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaidō‘to cut, hew, fell’reconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcaedō‘to cut’
  5. Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEcīsōrium‘cutting tool’
  6. Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEcīsōriaplural of cīsōrium
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cisoirs
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sisours
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1907scissors

Earliest quotation: 1907, Barbara Baynton, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton): “She found her in the dining-room with Ann Foster,…”

The story

From Middle English sisours (attested since 1350–1400), from Old French cisoirs, from Late Latin cīsōria, plural of cīsōrium (‘cutting tool’); from Latin word root -cīsus (compare excise) or caesus, past participle of caedō (‘to cut’). Partially displaced native Old English sċēara (‘scissors, shears’), whence shears. The current spelling, from the 16th century, is due to association with Medieval Latin scissor (‘tailor’), from Latin carrying the meaning “carver, cutter”, from scindō (‘to split’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- ‘to cut, hew’

hit, 29 more

through Late Latin caedō ‘to cut’

decision, cement, precise, concise, circumcision, incision, incisive, excision, caesium, incisor, 27 more

through Late Latin cīsōrium ‘cutting tool’

chisel

Today it means

noun A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- / scissors

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