English
shearing
Shearing comes from Middle English scheren ‘to injure by slashing or slicing’, from Old English sċieran ‘to shear’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skeraną‘to shear’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skeran‘to shear, to cut’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċieran‘to shear’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scheren‘to injure by slashing or slicing’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500scherynge
- Englishearliest quotation 1864shearing
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skeraną‘to shear’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skeran‘to shear, to cut’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sċieran‘to shear’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scheren‘to injure by slashing or slicing’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500scherynge
- Englishearliest quotation 1864shearing
Earliest quotation: 1864, William Youatt: “When male sheep have been castrated , they are…”
Formed from shear + -ing
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’
Proto-Germanic *skeraną ‘to shear’
Proto-West Germanic *skeran ‘to shear, to cut’
Old English sċieran ‘to shear’
Middle English sheren
English shear
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’
across, short, cross, cancer, screen, score, card, share, circle, circuit, shirt, crucial, curve, circus, circulation, skirt, scare, curb, cancellation, carnival, crest, circa, scrutiny, scar, corona, scorpion, raffle, circulate, corolla, shrine, carnage, incarceration, shred, crux, cirque, shrewd, circulatory, crepe, carcinoma, corgi, 117 more
through Proto-Germanic *skeraną ‘to shear’
Today it means
adj Tending to cut or tear.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / shearing