Etymology
1. O.E.
scyttan "to put in place so as to fasten a door or gate," from W.Gmc.
*skutjanan (cf. O.Fris.
schetta, M.Du.
schutten "to shut, shut up, obstruct"), from P.Gmc.
*skut- "project" (see shoot). Meaning "to close by folding or bringing together" is from c.1366. Sense of "to set (someone) free (from)" (c.1500) is obsolete except in dial. phrases such as
to get shut of. Colloquial
shut-eye for "sleep" is from 1899. To
shut (one's) mouth "desist from speaking" is recorded from 1340.
Shut up (v.) first recorded 1840.
Shut-in "person confined from normal social intercourse" is from 1904.
Shut out in baseball sense is from 1881 (v.), 1889 (n.).
2. From Middle English schitten, schetten, from Old English scyttan (“to cause rapid movement, shoot a bolt, shut, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skutjaną, *skuttijaną (“to bar, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skuttą, *skuttjō (“bar, bolt, shed”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewd- (“to drive, fall upon, rush”). The Modern English word was originally a dialect form; the Old English word would have normally merged with shit.
3. Cognate with Dutch schutten (“to shut in, lock up”), Low German schütten (“to shut, lock in”), German schützen (“to shut out, dam, protect, guard”). See: Middle English '
schitten', Old English '
scyttan', Dutch '
schutten', Low Saxon 'schütten', German, old spelling '
schützen'.
Verbs referencing "shut"
Low Saxon schütten, Dutch
schutten.