Etymologically
Log in

shine

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʃaɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English schinen, inherited from Old English scīnan (“to shed light, be radiant”),[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *skīnaną,[2][3] source also of Dutch schijnen, German scheinen, Old Norse skína and Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌽 (skeinan, “to shine, appear”),[3][5] perhaps from PIE Proto-Indo-European *skai- (“to shine, gleam”), also the source of Old Church Slavonic sijati.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To shed light, be radiant: before 800 in Barnhart.[2] Of persons, to be conspicuous, is also Old English.[3]

Semantic evolution

Of polished surfaces, to gleam, is late Old English,[3] and of a person or face, to be fair or beautiful, about 1200.[3] To cause to shine is from the 1580s, and to polish boots from the 1610s.[3] The noun, brightness, is from 1520s (before 1529, in Skelton),[3][2] sunshine as opposed to rain from the 1620s,[3] and a polish on boots from 1871.[3][6] Take a shine to, to fancy, is recorded by 1830 in representations of Yankee dialect.[3] To excel at something is a figurative use.[7][8]

Timeline

  • before 800 – to shed light.[2]
  • c. 1200 – to be beautiful.[3]
  • 1520s – brightness (noun).[3]
  • 1610s – to polish boots.[3]
  • 1830 – take a shine to.[3]
  • 1871 – a shoeshine.[3][6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To give out or reflect bright light.
  2. To direct a light at something: shine a torch.
  3. To be outstanding; to excel.
  4. To polish: shine shoes.

Noun

  1. Brightness or radiance; a gloss or lustre.
  2. (take a shine to) A liking.

Word family

  • overshine
  • reshine
  • outshine
  • shiner
  • shiny
  • earthshine
  • monkeyshine
  • rain or shine

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins