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shit

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Shit

English

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Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Etymology tree
Proto-West Germanic *skittjā
Old English sċitte
Old English *sċite
Middle English schite
English shit

    From Middle English schit, schyt, from Old English *sċite (“dung”) and sċitte (“diarrhoea”), from Proto-West Germanic *skiti and *skittjā, from Proto-Germanic *skitiz, from Proto-Indo-European *skeyd- (“to split, divide, separate”).

    Related to Saterland Frisian Skiete, West Frisian skyte, skyt, Dutch schijt, German Low German Schiet, German Scheiße, Danish skidt, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk skit, Norwegian Bokmål skitt, Icelandic skítur. Compare shite. Doublet of scheisse.

    Alternative forms

    Noun

    shit (usually uncountable, plural shits) (vulgar)

    2. (countable, uncountable, colloquial, literally) Usually solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels; feces.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:feces
      • 2011 July 30, “Cholera and the super-loo”, in The Economist:
        The practice in most African and some Asian cities is for private lorries to suck up human waste and dump it in rivers. [...] In tackling the shit problem, economics could well be a clincher.
      • 2019 December 22, Annalee Newitz and Cyrus Farivar, “Nick Farmer knows dozens of languages, so he invented one for The Expanse”, in Ars Technica‎[1], archived from the original on 25 February 2021:
        He also decided that Belters wouldn’t use the term “bullshit,” because there would be no bulls in the Belt. Instead, they would come up with a uniquely Belter curse, “kaka felota,” a term for what happens when your toilet backs up in low gravity and shit floats all over the place. (“Kata felota” literally means “floating shit.”)
    3. (countable, informal, colloquial, literally) The act of shitting.
    4. (uncountable, colloquial) Rubbish; worthless matter.
      Synonyms: crap, junk; see also Thesaurus:trash
      Throw that shit out!
      Get rid of that shit!
      Bring that shit to the disposal.
    6. (uncountable, colloquial) Stuff, things.
      I want your shit out of my garage by tomorrow.
      Fuck it. I don't feel like doing this shit.
      • 1998, Jim Kouf, Ross LaManna, Rush Hour‎[2], California: New Line Cinema:
        JAMES CARTER: You put your own shit in the back; I'm not a skycap.
      • 2001, “Zip City”, performed by Mike Cooley:
        Don't know why I put up with this shit / When you don't put out and Zip City's so far away
      • 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club‎[3], archived from the original on 7 March 2022:
        He’s physical and monosyllabic. He does all sorts of cool shit, and he subtly rediscovers his own heroism without making a big thing out of it. But he’s a supporting character, and he knows it.
    7. (uncountable, colloquial, slang, definite, US) (the shit) The best of its kind.
      These grapes are the shit!
    9. (uncountable, slang) Genitalia, especially male.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:genitalia
      jerk one's shit
    10. (uncountable, colloquial) Nonsense; bullshit.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonsense
      Everything he says is a load of shit.
      Enough of this shit!
      Quit your shit!
      What is this shit?
      Aw, this shit again?
      This guy is full of shit.
    11. (countable, colloquial) A nasty, despicable person, used particularly of men.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:jerk
      Her son has been a real shit to her.
      I am a shit and a rotter.
      Get the fuck out of here you little shit!
      • 1979, Robert Benton, Kramer vs. Kramer, spoken by Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman):
        …I hate you back, you little shit!
      • 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club‎[4], archived from the original on 7 March 2022:
        (Admittedly, the fact that Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s vampiric treasury secretary, was a Fury Road executive producer complicates this whole parallel. I don’t know what to do with that. Even pieces of shit can, I suppose, be involved with great things from time to time.)
    12. (uncountable, colloquial, chiefly in the negative) Anything.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nothing
      We don’t have shit to live on. ― We don’t have anything to live on.
      John can't sing for shit. ― John can't sing at all.
      You ain't shit. ― You're nothing; you aren't worth anything.
    13. (countable, colloquial) The smallest amount of concern or consideration.
      Synonyms: fuck, damn
      I don't give a shit.
    14. (uncountable, colloquial) A problem or difficult situation.
      I'm in some serious shit.
      Some shit went down at the nightclub last night.
    15. (uncountable, colloquial) A strong rebuke.
      I gave him shit for being three hours late twice in one week.
    16. (uncountable, colloquial) Any recreational drug (e.g. cannabis, heroin, etc.).
      • 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section I, page 20:
        ‘Now,’ he said, ‘if someone would close the curtains and light a joss-stick, I have here for your delight some twenty-four-carat black Nepalese cannabis resin which should be smoked immediately on account of it being seriously good shit.’
    17. (uncountable, slang) Anything exceptional or remarkable.
      I heard Bobby escaped from the police by jumping off a bridge into the river. Ain't that some shit?
    Descendants
    • → Bislama: sit
    • → Dutch: shit m
    • → French: shit m
    • → Ilocano: shet
    • → Kankanaey: shet
    • → Pitcairn-Norfolk: shet
    • → Pijin: siti
    • → Russian: щит (ščit)
    • → Swedish: shit
    • → Tagalog: shet
    • → Tok Pisin: sit
    Translations
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Adjective

    shit (comparative shitter or more shit, superlative shittest or most shit) (vulgar, colloquial)

    1. Of poor quality; worthless.
      Synonyms: crap, shithouse; shitey, shitty; see also Thesaurus:low-quality, Thesaurus:worthless
      What a shit film that was!
    2. Nasty; despicable.
      Synonyms: contemptible, shitty, unpleasant; see also Thesaurus:despicable
      That was a shit thing to do to him.
    Translations

    Etymology 2

    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *sek-?
    Proto-Indo-European *-éyti
    Proto-Indo-European *skey-
    Proto-Indo-European *skeyd-
    Proto-Indo-European *skéydt
    Proto-Germanic *skītaną
    Proto-West Germanic *skītan
    Old English sċītan
    Middle English schiten
    English shit

      From Middle English schiten, shiten, from Old English sċītan, from Proto-West Germanic *skītan, from Proto-Germanic *skītaną, from Proto-Indo-European *skéydt, from *skeyd-, *skeh₁i-d (“to cut”) (compare *skey-).

      Cognate with West Frisian skite, Low German schieten, Dutch schijten, German scheißen, Danish skide. More at shed.

      Verb

      shit (third-person singular simple present shits, present participle shitting, simple past shat or (rare) shitted or (US) shit, past participle shat or (rare) shitted or (US) shit or shitten) (vulgar, colloquial)

      1. (intransitive, literally) To defecate.
        Synonyms: see Thesaurus:defecate
      2. (transitive, literally) To excrete (something) through the anus.
      3. (transitive, reflexive, literally) To defecate on; to soil through defecating.
        I laughed so hard I shat myself.
      4. (ambitransitive, slang) To fart (especially a wet fart) or shart.
        • 2008, Norman A. Richards, What Do Women Gossip About?, page 35:
          Of course, the farter does not dislike the smell of his own doing, but anybody else's fart, "Katey, bar the doors" and shouting, "Who shit?"
        • 2016, R.J. Torbert, No Mercy: A Powers and Johnson Novel, page 316:
          Ken Anker broke the silence and spoke through the bars. "Whoever is shitting their pants, please stop.” "Sorry," Sysco replied." It must be the food they serve here.”
        • 2016, Anna Smith, Rough Cut: Rosie Gilmour 6:
          'You should have seen her, Rosie. I think Gordy got such a fright, it was him who shat it.' Nikki chortled. 'I nearly lost it,' Julie said.
        • 2020, St John Karp, Quake City:
          I hate that guy. He needs to lay off the cheese or something because he's always shitting farts so hard I'm surprised he doesn't blow out the back of his pants.
      5. (transitive) To fool or try to fool someone; to be deceitful.
        Synonyms: shit with; see also Thesaurus:deceive
        Twelve hundred dollars!? Are you shitting me!?
      6. (transitive, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland) To annoy. [from 20th c.]
        • 1983, Helen Garner, Yellow Notebook: Diaries Volume I, Text Publishing, published 2022, page 70:
          I saw red and smashed a plate and a bowl. […] I swept up the mess. I bawled a lot as I swept […] I also thought, I am about to get my period. It absolutely shits me that this should explain anything.
      Translations
      The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
      Translations to be checked

      Interjection

      shit

      1. (slang, mildly vulgar) Expression of worry, failure, shock, etc., often at something seen for the first time or remembered immediately before using this term.
        Synonyms: poo, poop, crap, crud; see also Thesaurus:dammit
        Shit! I think that I forgot to pack my sleeping bag last night!
        Holy shit!
        Oh, shit!
      2. (vulgar) Used to show displeasure or surprise.
        "Oh, shit. I left my worksheet at home," she said to the language arts teacher, which got her in trouble.
      3. (vulgar) Used for mere emphasis; heck, hey.
        • 2017, Darrell Smith, Miracle Baby:
          All my comrades were laughing and clowning me, but shit, that didn't stop me from talking more shit.
      Descendants
      Translations

      Derived terms

      from all parts of speech

      Anagrams

      Albanian

      Verb

      shit

      1. second-person singular imperative of shesh

      Dutch

      Etymology

      Borrowed from English shit. Doublet of schijt.

      Pronunciation

      Interjection

      shit

      1. shit, darn
        Synonyms: kut, klote, kak

      Usage notes

      Not considered very vulgar, unlike in some English lects. But it is still sometimes euphemistically replaced by chips, e.g. around children.

      Noun

      shit m (uncountable, no diminutive)

      1. (slang) stuff
      2. (slang) trouble

      Derived terms

      French

      Etymology

        Borrowed from English shit.

        Pronunciation

        Noun

        shit m (uncountable)

        1. (slang) cannabis

        Khasi

        Etymology

        (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

        Adjective

        shit

        1. hot, warm
          Nga sngew shit.
          I'm hot.

        References

        • Singh, U Nissor (1906), Khasi-English dictionary‎[5], Shillong: Eastern Bengal and Assam Secretariat Press, page 195. Searchable online at SEAlang.net.

        Middle English

        Verb

        shit

        1. alternative form of schitten

        Swedish

        Etymology

        Borrowed from English shit.

        Interjection

        shit

        1. shit, wow, oh, oh my God, said when surprised or shocked
          Synonyms: oj, herregud, jävlar, helvete
          Shit! Vad är det där?
          Oh my God! What's that?

        Derived terms

        Anagrams

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