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shelter

Etymology and origin of the English word shelter

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1585

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈʃɛltə/ (UK); /ˈʃɛltɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.[2][3][4] It is possibly an alteration of Middle English sheltron (“a roof or wall of locked shields; a troop in close formation”),[5][6][7] from scieldtruma, from scield (“shield”) (see shield) and truma (“troop”);[5][6] the original idea would be a body of men protected by their interlocked shields.[5][6] The OED finds this untenable because of a gap in the record, and suggests shield with the suffix -ture.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A structure giving protection from rain, wind or sun: 1585.[5][8][3]

Semantic evolution

A refuge from danger or pursuit is from 1605,[8] and the state of being sheltered from 1593.[8] The verb, to screen or protect, is from 1590, in Spenser's Faerie Queene,[5] and to take shelter from the 1590s.[6] A temporary lodging for the homeless poor is recorded by 1890 in Salvation Army use,[6][8] and a home for stray animals from 1971.[6][8] The tax shelter, protecting income from taxation, is by 1955.[6] The air-raid shelter is a 20th-century use.[9][10]

Timeline

  • 1585 – a protective structure.[5][8]
  • 1590 – the verb, in Spenser.[5]
  • 1593 – the state of being sheltered.[8]
  • 1890 – a shelter for the homeless.[6][8]
  • 1955 – tax shelter.[6]
  • 1971 – an animal shelter.[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A place or structure giving protection from weather or danger.
  2. Protection; refuge: took shelter from the rain.
  3. A place providing food and lodging for homeless people, or for abandoned animals.
  4. A means of reducing tax.

Verb

  1. To protect or provide refuge for.
  2. To take cover.

Word family

  • shelterer
  • shelterless
  • shelteringly
  • shelterlessness
  • shelterbelt
  • air-raid shelter
  • bomb shelter
  • shelter deck

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. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Shelter.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/shelter. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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