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’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-‘to cut off’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertaną‘to cut off’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtaz‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtijǭ‘apron’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350skyrta‘shirt’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scyrt
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600skirt
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-‘to cut off’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skertaną‘to cut off’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtaz‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skurtijǭ‘apron’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350skyrta‘shirt’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scyrt
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600skirt
Earliest quotation: 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, 116 more
through Proto-Germanic *skertaną ‘to cut off’
shortly, shortness, shortbread, scherzo
through Proto-Germanic *skurtaz ‘short’
through Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ ‘apron’
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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / skirt