shirt
UK[ʃɜːt]US[ʃɜːrt]
n
A piece of clothing for the upper body, usually with a collar, sleeves, and buttons down the front.
Etymology
The word 'shirt' originates from the Old English 'scyrte', meaning a short garment or a tunic. This term is related to the Old Norse 'skyrta', which gave us the modern word 'skirt'. Both words share a common Proto-Germanic root 'skurtijǭ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European base '(s)ker-', meaning 'to cut'. The original sense was of a cut or short piece of cloth, distinguishing it from longer garments like robes. Over time, 'shirt' specialized to refer to the upper body garment, while its cognate 'skirt' came to denote the lower body garment.
Analysis
The word 'shirt' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It is not productively formed from smaller, independent morphemes in modern English.
Examples
He wore a crisp white shirt and a tie to the interview.
I need to buy a new shirt for the wedding.
She rolled up the sleeves of her flannel shirt.