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shutdown

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Etymology and origin of the English word shutdown

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1857 Knickerbocker
Ultimate origins
Old English scyttanEnglish down
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English shut
English shutdown

Pronunciation

  • /ˈʃʌtdaʊn/[1]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from English shut + down,[2] from the phrasal verb shut down.[3][4][5] Dictionary.com marks it as an Americanism.[4] Etymonline dates the verb shut down, to stop working or be idle, by 1877, after the noun.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A shutting down; the closing of a factory or the like for a time: 1857, in the Knickerbocker.[3][2] Dictionary.com dates it to 1855–60, and Merriam-Webster's first known use is 1888.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word was used especially of factory work by 1884.[2] From 1911 it was applied to the stopping of a machine or installation, especially because of a fault,[3][2] and since 1945 in physics to stopping the chain reaction in a nuclear reactor.[3][2] From 1959 it also meant the end of a television or radio channel's broadcasting for the day.[3] In recent British black slang a shutdown is an outstanding success, such as a performance or a song, as in a 2016 track by Skepta.[6]

Timeline

  • 1857 – the closing of a factory or business for a time.[3][2]
  • 1884 – especially of factory work.[2]
  • 1911 – the stopping of a machine or installation.[3][2]
  • 1945 – the stopping of a nuclear reactor's chain reaction.[3][2]
  • 1959 – the end of a station's broadcasting for the day.[3]
  • 2016 – in British slang, an outstanding success.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The closing of a factory, business or service, usually for a time: The strike forced a two-week shutdown of the plant.[7][5][3]
  2. The stopping of a machine, system or installation, often because of a fault.[5][3]
  3. (physics) The stopping of the chain reaction in a nuclear reactor.[3][7]
  • shutoff
  • shutout
  • shut
  • down

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Shutdown.” Etymologically, 26 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/shutdown. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·