shallow

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʃæləʊ/ (UK); /ˈʃæloʊ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English schalowe, of obscure origin,^[2][3] probably related to the synonymous Middle English schald, inherited from Old English sceald (“shallow”) (see shoal),^[4][5][6] perhaps an abbreviated form of *scealdig.^[5] Merriam-Webster compares Greek skellein, to dry up.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not deep: before 1387, in Trevisa's translation of Higden;^[4] about 1400 in Etymonline, which also gives a sense thin, emaciated, of the body;^[5] earlier shellowe, thin (1373).^[4]

Semantic evolution

Of thought or feeling, superficial, it is by the 1580s.^[5] The noun, usually shallows, a place where water is not deep, is from the 1570s.^[5][4] The verb, to make shallow, is from 1510,^[4][6] and to become shallow from the late 18th century.^[7] Of soil forming a thin layer over rock it is from 1733,^[8] of breathing from 1875,^[5] and the shallow end of a swimming pool from 1924.^[8]

Timeline

• 1373 – shellowe, thin.^[4]
• before 1387 – not deep.^[4]
• 1510 – to make shallow (verb).^[4]
• 1570s – shallows (noun).^[5]
• 1580s – superficial.^[5]
• 1875 – of breathing.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Having little depth.
2. Lacking depth of mind or feeling; superficial.
3. Of breathing, weak, with little air drawn in.

Noun

1. (often shallows) A shallow part of a body of water; a shoal.

Verb

1. To make or become shallow.

Word family

• shallowly
• shallowness

Related words

• shoal
• shelf
• skeleton

Usage notes

Shallow is also an old name for the rudd, a freshwater fish, recorded from about 1050 and in East Anglian dialect.^[8][9] In Lancashire dialect shallow meant foolish, and in London a costermonger's basket.^[9]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)