Etymologically
Log in

shorty

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word shorty

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1847 Melville, Omoo
Ultimate origins
Old English sceortEnglish -y
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English short
English shorty
From the same root
English shorten ← short

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈʃɔː.ti/[1]
  • US: /ˈʃoɹ.ti/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English short + -y,[2][3][4][5] with the noun suffix used for pet names and nicknames;[2][3] it is also spelled “shortie”.[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A short person, or a nickname for one: 1847, in Melville's Omoo,[2] and in the same year in an American magazine, where a tall Yankee nicknames his short Cockney companion Shorty.[7] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date it from 1888.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

Used from the start as a nickname, it was often applied ironically to a tall man.[7] In Scotland shorty was shortbread (1878).[2][4] From the 1910s it was also used of short things: in Tennessee slang, illicit whisky (1917), then a small bottle or shot of spirits (1925);[2] a short garment such as a coat or nightdress (1920), and in the plural shorts;[2][6][8] and a short film or story (1933).[2][4] In African American usage it meant a child or young person (1966); from 1989, also spelled “shawty”, a familiar way of addressing a young woman.[2][7]

Timeline

  • 1847 – a short person; a nickname for one.[2][7]
  • 1878 – in Scotland, shortbread.[2]
  • 1917 – illicit whisky (obsolete).[2]
  • 1920 – a short garment.[2]
  • 1925 – a small bottle of liquor; a shot of spirits.[2]
  • 1933 – a short film, article or story.[2]
  • 1966 – in African American usage, a child or young person.[2]
  • 1989 – a familiar term of address for a young woman.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (informal) A person shorter than average, often as a nickname: Everyone on the team called him Shorty.[6][8][2]
  2. (informal) A short garment, such as a short nightdress or coat.[6][8][2]
  3. (US, informal) A child or young person; also, as a familiar term of address, a young woman.[2]
  4. (informal) A short drink of spirits.[2][4]
  5. (Scotland) shortbread, or a piece of it.[2][4]

Adjective

  1. (informal) Short, especially of a garment: a shorty raincoat.[2][8]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  8. ^ a b c d Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Shorty.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/shorty. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·