An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/scheren

by Friedrich Kluge

scheren, verb, ‘to shear, fleece, molest,’ from Middle High German schërn, Old High German scëran, ‘to shear, cut off’; compare Dutch scheren, Anglo-Saxon sčëran, ‘to shear, cut or hew to pieces,’ English to shear, Old Icelandic skera, ‘to cut, shear, slaughter.’ The primary meaning of the root sker contained in these verbs is ‘to cut or hew to pieces’ (compare Lithuanian skírti, ‘to sever,’ skarà, ‘rag’), as is shown by the Old Teutonic skarda-, ‘hewn or cut to pieces,’ which originated in skṛ-tó- (see Scharte). Yet the meaning ‘to shear’ is very old; compare the derivative Schere. The root sker (whence Sanscrit kšurás, ‘razor’?) appears in Greek as ker in κείρω, ‘I shear.’