scrimp

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)ker-“to cut off”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*skrimpaną“to shrink”
3. Frankish · derived from*skrimpan
4. Old Dutch · derived from*scrimpan
5. Middle Low German · derived fromschrimpen“to shrivel up, wrinkle”
6. Scots · borrowed fromscrimp“meager”
7. English todayscrimp

From Scots scrimp (“meager”), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schrimpen (“to shrivel up, wrinkle”), from Old Dutch *scrimpan, from Frankish *skrimpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skrimpaną (“to shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”), related to Old English sċrimman (“to shrink”) and sċrincan (“to shrivel up”). Doublet of shrink, shrimp, and shrim.

Words from the same roots