Etymology

shortbread

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Today it means: A type of biscuit (cookie), popular in Britain, traditionally made from one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour. Full definition →

English bread ← Middle English bred ← Old English brēad
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-der.?
  2. Proto-Germanic*skertaną
  3. Proto-Germanic*skurtaz
  4. Proto-West Germanic*skurt
  5. Old Englishsċort
  6. Middle Englishschort
  7. Englishshort
  8. Proto-Indo-European*bʰrewh₁-der.?
  9. Proto-Germanic*braudą
  10. Proto-West Germanic*braud
  11. Old Englishbrēad
  12. Middle Englishbred
  13. Englishbread
  14. English todayshortbread

From short (“brittle, of pastry”) + bread.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.