shun

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skunōną
2. Old English · inherited fromsċunian“to shun, fear, avoid”
3. Middle English · inherited fromschonen“to decline to do, avoid, fear”
4. English todayshun

From Middle English schonen (“to decline to do, avoid, fear”), from Old English sċunian (“to shun, fear, avoid”), of uncertain origin, though probably ultimately connected to the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”) via Proto-Germanic *skunōną; see that entry for more discussion. Compare hide, shy, and Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunāti, “to cover”).

Words from the same roots