Shirt Meaning
/ʃɜːt/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAn article of clothing that is worn on the upper part of the body, and often has sleeves, either long or short, that cover the arms.
nounAn interior lining in a blast furnace.
Sentence Examples
You look smart in the shirt.
You may as well wash your shirt.
He was wearing a faded pair of blue jeans and an old T-shirt.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He wore a white ____ with a collar to the formal dinner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He spilled a drop of coffee on his white ____ just minutes before the important presentation started.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English schirte, from Old English sċyrte (“a short garment; skirt; kirtle”), from Proto-West Germanic *skurtijā, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ (“a short garment, skirt, apron”), from *skurtaz (“short”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Schoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skjorte (“shirt”), Norwegian skjorte (“shirt”), Swedish skjorta (“shirt”), Faroese skjúrta (“shirt”), Icelandic skyrta (“shirt”). Doublet of skirt via Old Norse; further related to short.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"She had her shertes & gyrdyls of heere."
— 1509, John Fisher, A Mornynge Remembraunce […] :
"Several persons in December had nothing over their shoulders but their shirts."
— 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
"Holt was furious referee Michael Oliver refused to then award him a penalty after Ledley King appeared to pull his shirt and his anger was compounded when Spurs immediately levelled."
— 2012 April 9, Mandeep Sanghera, “Tottenham 1 - 2 Norwich”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He wore a white ____ with a collar to the formal dinner.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He spilled a drop of coffee on his white ____ just minutes before the important presentation started.