shower

shower · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)ḱēwer-“north, north wind, cold wind, rain shower”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skūrō“storm, short shower”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*skūru“shower”
4. Old English · inherited fromsċūr“shower”
5. Middle English · inherited fromschour“shower”
6. English todayshower

From Middle English schour (“shower”), from Old English sċūr (“shower”), from Proto-West Germanic *skūru (“shower”), from Proto-Germanic *skūrō (“storm, short shower”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱēwer- (“north, north wind, cold wind, rain shower”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch schoer (“downpour, heavy rainshower”), German Schauer (“shower”), Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish skur (“shower”), Faroese skúrur (“shower”), Icelandic skúr (“shower”), Norn skur (“squall”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌿𐍂𐌰 (skūra, “storm”), Italian coro (“northwestern wind”), Spanish cauro (“northwestern wind”), Belarusian се́вер (sjévjer), сі́вер (sívjer), Bulgarian and Russian се́вер (séver, “north”), Czech and Slovak sever (“north”), Macedonian север (sever, “north”), Serbo-Croatian sȅvēr, sjȅvēr (“north”), Slovene sẹ́ver (“north”), Ukrainian сі́вер (síver, “cold, cold, bitter wind”).

shower · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kewh₁-
2. Proto-Germanic*skawwōną
3. Proto-West Germanic*skauwōn
4. Proto-West Germanic*skauwārī
5. Old Englishsċēawere
6. Middle Englishschewere
7. English todayshower

Inherited from Middle English schewere, schewer, shewere (“one who exhibits something, actor; watchman; sign; mirror; index finger”), from Old English sċēawere (“an observer, one who examines into a matter; a spy; mirror; actor, buffoon”), equivalent to show + -er. Cognate with Dutch schouwer (“observer, visionary, clairvoyant”), German Schauer (“an inspector”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 1990s A person whose penis is close to its erect size when flaccid; the penis itself.