An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Scheit

by Friedrich Kluge

Scheit, n., ‘log, billet, fragment,’ from MidHG. schît, OHG. scît, n., ‘log of wood’; corresponding to the equiv. OFris. skîd, AS. sčîde, E. shide, OIc. skið. The root is the Aryan form skhait, skhī̆t, discussed under scheiden, the prim. meaning of which, ‘to split,’ appears still in ModHG. Scheit; comp. Gr. σχίζα (from *ἔσχίδja), ‘splinter,’ Lith. skëdrà, Lett. skaida, ‘chip,’ from the root skhit (see scheiden). —