> Origin of word shit

Etymology

Scholars trace the word back to Old Norse origin (skīta), and it is virtually certain that it was used in some form by preliterate Germanic tribes at the time of the Roman Empire. It was originally adopted into Old English as scitte, eventually morphing into Middle English schītte. The word may be further traced to Proto-Germanic *skit-, and ultimately to Proto-Indo-European *skheid-, ". Ancient Greek language had 'skor' (root 'skat-' from which modern Greek 'skatá'). The words 'skítur' (noun) and 'skíta' (verb), still exist in the Icelandic language today, and in other Scandinavian languages variations of 'skit' are also often used.

False etymology

An urban legend has arisen to explain the word as an acronym (similar to the false etymology of the word "****"). As the story goes, the word can be traced back to merchant sailing vessels from the 17th to 19th century. Supposedly, bales of dry manure were once transported in the holds of these ships. If the bales were stored low enough, they would come into contact with water that inevitably leaked into the bilge. The water would then cause the manure to decompose, creating methane gas. The sailor sent to investigate the smell would take with him a candle or lantern to light the dark area below deck. The open flame would ignite the methane/air mixture in the confined space, causing a massive explosion and sinking the ship. When the cause of these strange accidents was discovered, bales of manure to be transported by ship were marked "store high in transit" or "ship high in transit" to remind those loading them to keep them above the bilge water. This phrase was eventually shortened to "S.H.I.T." and this is how the story claims the word was born. However, this story has little historical backing and most likely originates from a 1999 Usenet post.[1]