potsherd

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skardą“a nick, notch”
2. Old English · inherited fromsceard“a shard, sherd”
3. Middle English · inherited fromsherd“piece of fired clay or broken earthenware; potsherd”
4. Proto-Germanic · derived from*puttaz“pot, jar; tub”
5. Old English · inherited frompot
6. Middle English · inherited frompot
7. Middle English · inherited frompot-sherd
8. English todaypotsherd

From Middle English pot-sherd, pot-schord, pot scherd, pot scarth, from Middle English pot, pote, potte (“a container, pot, vessel; especially an earthenware vessel”) (from late Old English pot, pott (“a pot”), from Proto-Germanic *puttaz (“pot, jar; tub”), of unknown origin) + Middle English sherd (“piece of fired clay or broken earthenware; potsherd”) (from Old English sceard (“a shard, sherd”), from Proto-Germanic *skardą (“a nick, notch”)); equivalent to pot + sherd (“shard”).

Words from the same roots