An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Schurz

by Friedrich Kluge

Schurz, masculine, Schürze, feminine, ‘apron,’ from Middle High German schurz, masculine, ‘shortened garment, apron’; allied to Old High German scurz, ‘short,’ Anglo-Saxon sčęort, English short, whence also Middle High German schürzen, ‘to shorten, tuck up the dress under the girdle to make it shorter below, gird up.’ A Teutonic derivative skurtjôn is also indicated by Anglo-Saxon *sčyrte, English shirt, Old Icelandic skyrta, ‘shirt’ (Old Icelandic skorta, ‘to be in want of’). These genuinely Teutonic cognates imply a Teutonic root skrt (Middle High German schërze, masculine, ‘piece cut off’), which has not yet been found elsewhere. With regard to the union of this word with Latin curtus in some languages, see under kurz.