shred

shred · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*(s)ker-“to cut off”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skraudō“a piece, shred; a crack; a cut”
3. Old English · inherited fromsċrēad
4. Middle English · inherited fromshrede
5. English todayshred

From Middle English shrede, shred (“fragment, piece, scrap; piece cut off from something; strip of material; ornamental strip hanging from the edge of a garment; thread; band or thread woven in a garment; element, streak; plant (?)”) [and other forms], from Late Old English sċrēad, sċrēade (“piece cut off from something; a paring; a shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudō (“a piece, shred; a crack; a cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”). Doublet of escrow.

shred · verb, adjective²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*(s)ker-“to cut off”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skraudaną“to cut up; to shred”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*skraudōn
4. Old English · inherited fromsċrēadian“to cut up, shred; to cut off; to prune, trim”
5. Middle English · inherited fromshreden
6. English todayshred

The verb is derived from Middle English shreden, shred (“to chop, cut up; to cut, hack; to wound with a knife; to cut off a part of (something); to prune, trim”) [and other forms], from Old English sċrēadian (“to cut up, shred; to cut off; to prune, trim”), from Proto-West Germanic *skraudōn, related to Proto-West Germanic *skraudan (“to cut up; to shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudaną (“to cut up; to shred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”). The adjective is derived from the past participle form of the verb.

Words from the same roots