Etymologically
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shallow

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Pronunciation

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

Etymology

It is 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

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)