shorts
UK[ʃɔːts]US[ʃɔːrts]
n
a short-sleeved or sleeveless garment for the upper body, typically made of cotton and worn in warm weather
n
trousers that end above the knee or reach the knee, worn in warm weather or for sports and leisure
Morpheme Breakdown
short
s
short
not long, brief
s
Etymology
the word 'shorts' is a modern english compound noun formed from the adjective 'short' and the plural suffix '-s'. the adjective 'short' originates from the old english 'sceort', 'scort', which is of germanic origin and related to old high german 'scurz'. its core meaning of 'having little length' has remained remarkably stable. the application of this adjective to clothing, specifically trousers cut off above the knee, is a logical semantic extension based on their reduced length compared to full-length trousers. the plural form 'shorts' is standard for this garment category, similar to 'pants' or 'jeans', treating it as a single item composed of two leg coverings.
Analysis
Structure: short + s
short (old english, adjective meaning 'not long, brief'); s (old english, plural noun suffix)
Examples
he packed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for the beach vacation.
the team wore matching blue shorts for the soccer game.
it's too hot for jeans; i'm going to change into shorts.