Wordwyrt

shortness

/ˈʃɔːtnəs/SHAWRT-nuhs
/ˈʃɔɹtnəs/SHAWRT-nuhs

Meaningthe quality of being short

Common meaning: lack of length or time

Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*skar- or *skal-‘shear, cut, cleave, scratch, dig’source
  2. Old EnglishsceortsourceB&T
  3. Middle Englishschortsource
  4. Englishshort‘small in length’
  5. Englishformed in English from shortshortness‘lack of length or time’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from short + -ness.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), SHORT, p.550 · scan

Source words

  • sceort Old English · source word “cut off, short”

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