Online Etymology Dictionary

shift (n.1): c.1300, "a movement, a beginning," from shift (v.). This is the sense in to make shift "make efforts" (mid-15c.). Meaning "period of working time" (originally in a mine) is attested from 1809, perhaps influenced by a North Sea Germanic cognate word (e.g. North Frisian skeft "division, stratum," skaft "one of successive parties of workmen"). Similar double senses of "division" and "relay of workers" exist in Swedish skift, German schicht. Meaning "mechanism for changing gear in a motor vehicle" is recorded from 1914. Typewriter shift-lock is from 1899.
shift (n.2): "body garment, underclothing," 1590s, originally used of both men's and women's. In 17c., it began to be used as a euphemism for smock, and was itself displaced, for similar reasons of delicacy, in 19c. by chemise.
shiftless (adj.): "wanting in resources," 1580s, from shift (n.) + -less. Related: Shiftlessly; shiftlessness.
shifty (adj.): 1570, "able to manage for oneself," from shift (v.) in secondary sense + -y (2). Meaning "using dishonest methods" first recorded 1837.
shih-tzu (n.): also shih tzu, small long-haired dog, 1921, from Chinese shizigou, from shi "lion" + zi "son" + gou "dog."
shiitake (n.): 1877, from Japanese, from shii, name of several types of evergreen trees, + take "mushroom."
Shiite (n.): 1728, "a member of the Shia sect of Islam," from Shiah (1626) from Arabic shi'ah "partisans, followers, sect, company, faction" (from sha'a "to follow") + -ite (1), Latin-derived suffix denoting "follower."

Follower of the branch of Islam that recognizes Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, as the lawful successor of the Prophet; the minority who believed, after the death of the Prophet, that spiritual and political authority followed his family line, as opposed to the Sunni, who took Abu Bakr as the political leader of the community. The Arabic name is short for Shi'at Ali "the party of Ali."
shiksa (n.): "gentile girl," in Jewish culture, 1892, from Yiddish shikse, from Hebrew siqsa, from sheqes "a detested thing" + fem. suffix -a.
shill (n.): 1916, "one who acts as a decoy for a gambler, auctioneer, etc." (probably originally circus or carnival argot), probably a shortened form of shillaber (1913) with the same meaning, origin unknown. The verb is attested from 1914. Related: Shilled; shilling.
shillelagh (n.): 1772, "cudgel," earlier, "oak wood used to make cudgels" (1670s), from Shillelagh, town and barony in County Wicklow, Ireland, famous for its oaks.
shilling (n.): Old English scilling, a coin consisting of a varying number of pence (on the continent, a common scale was 12 pennies to a shilling, 20 shillings to a pound), from Proto-Germanic *skillingoz- (cf. Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish, Old Frisian, Old High German skilling, Old Norse skillingr, Dutch schelling, German Schilling, Gothic skilliggs), which some etymologists trace to the root *skell- "to resound, to ring," and others to the root *skel- "to split, to divide" (perhaps via sense of "shield;" see shield). The ending may represent the diminutive suffix -ling. Old Church Slavonic skulezi, Spanish escalin, French schelling, Italian scellino are loan-words from Germanic.
shilly-shally (adj.): "vacillate," 1703, earlier shill I, shall I (1700), fanciful reduplication of shall I? (cf. wishy-washy, dilly-dally, etc.).
Shiloh: village on the West Bank, perhaps from an alteration of Hebrew shalo "to be peaceful."
shim (n.): "a slip of wood," 1723, a Kentish word, of unknown origin. Originally a piece of iron fitted to a plow for scraping soil; meaning "thin slip to fill up a space or raise a level" is from 1860.
shim (v.): "to wedge up a surface by means of a shim," 1937, from shim (n.). Related: Shimmed; shimming.
shimmer (n.): 1821, from shimmer (v.).
shimmer (v.): Old English scimerian "to glitter," related to (perhaps a frequentative of) scimian "to shine," also "grow dark," and scinan (see shine (v.)). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skim- (cf. Swedish skimra, Dutch schemeren "to glitter," German schimmern), from PIE root *skai- "to gleam, to shine." Related: Shimmered; shimmering.
shimmy (v.): "do a suggestive dance," 1918, perhaps via phrase shake the shimmy, possibly from shimmy (n.), a U.S. dialectal form of chemise (mistaken as a plural; cf. shammy) first recorded 1837; or related to shimmer via a notion of glistening light. Transferred sense of "vibration of a motor vehicle" is from 1925. Related: Shimmied; shimmying.
shin (n.): Old English scinu "shin," from Proto-Germanic *skino "thin piece" (cf. Dutch scheen, Old High German scina, German Schienbein "shin, shinbones"), from PIE root *skei- "to cut, split." The verb meaning "to climb by using arms and legs" (originally a nautical word) is recorded from 1829. Shin splints is attested from 1930.
Shin Bet (n.): Israeli security service, 1964, from Modern Hebrew shin + bet, names of the initial letters of sherut bitahon kelali "(general) security service."
shindig (n.): "dance, party, lively gathering," 1871, probably from shindy "a spree, merrymaking" (1821), perhaps from shinty, name of a Scottish game akin to hockey (1771), earlier shinny (see shinny (n.)).
shine (v.): Old English scinan "shed light, be radiant" (class I strong verb; past tense scan, past participle scinen), from Proto-Germanic *skinanan (cf. Old Saxon and Old High German skinan, Old Norse and Old Frisian skina, Dutch schijnen, German scheinen, Gothic skeinan "to shine, appear"), from PIE root *skai- "to gleam, shine, flicker" (cf. Sanskrit chaya "brilliance, luster; shadow," Greek skia "shade," Old Church Slavonic snati "to flash up, shine," Albanian he "shadow"). Transitive meaning "to black (boots)" is from 1610s. Related: Shined (in the shoe polish sense); shining.
shine (n.): 1520s, "brightness," from shine (v.). Meaning "polish given to a pair of boots" is from 1871. Derogatory meaning "black person" is from 1908. Phrase to take a shine to "fancy" is American English slang from 1839. Shiner for "black eye" first recorded 1904.
shingle (n.1): "thin piece of wood," c.1200, scincle, from Late Latin scindula, altered (by influence of Greek schidax "lath" or schindalmos "splinter") from Latin scandula "roof tile," from scindere "to cleave, split," from PIE root *sked- "to split." Meaning "small signboard" is first attested 1842; that of "woman's short haircut" is from 1924. The verb meaning "to cut the hair so as to give the impression of overlapping shingles" is from 1857.
shingle (n.2): "loose stones on seashore," 1510s, probably related to Norwegian singl "small stones," or North Frisian singel "gravel," both said to be echoic of the sound of water running over pebbles.
shingles (n.): late 14c., "inflammatory disease of the skin," from Medieval Latin cingulus (loan-translation of Greek zoster "girdle"), variant of Latin cingulum "girdle," from cingere "to gird" (see cinch). The inflammation often extends around the middle of the body, like a girdle.
shinny (v.): "to climb a rope, pole, etc.," 1888, from use of shins and ankles to do so; see shin.
shinny (n.): also shinney, primitive form of hockey, 1670s, perhaps from Gaelic sinteag "a bound, a leap."
Shinola (n.): brand of shoe polish, by 1904, from shine + -ola.
shinplaster (n.): also shin-plaster, piece of paper soaked in vinegar and used to treat sore legs, from shin (n.) + plaster (n.). In U.S. history, jocularly or as a term of abuse for "devalued low-denomination paper currency" (1824).
Shinto (n.): native religious system of Japan, 1727, from Chinese shin tao "way of the gods."
shiny (adj.): 1580s, from shine + -y (2). Related: Shininess.
ship (n.): Old English scip "ship, boat," from Proto-Germanic *skipam (cf. Old Norse, Old Saxon, Gothic skip, Danish skib, Swedish skepp, Middle Dutch scip, Dutch schip, Old High German skif, German Schiff), "Germanic noun of obscure origin" [Watkins]. Others suggest perhaps originally "tree cut out or hollowed out," and derive it from PIE root *skei- "to cut, split."

The Old English word was used for small craft as well; in 19c., distinct from a boat in having a bowsprit and three masts, each with a lower, top, and topgallant mast. French esquif, Italian schifo are Germanic loan-words. Phrase ships that pass in the night is from Longfellow's poem "Elizabeth" in "Tales of a Wayside Inn" (1863). Figurative use of nautical runs a tight ship (i.e., one that does not leak) is attested from 1965.
ship (v.): c.1300, "to send or transport by ship," from ship (n.). Transferred to other means of conveyance (railroad, etc.) from 1857, originally American English. Related: Shipped; shipping.
ship-board (n.): "side of a ship," c.1200, from ship (n.) + board (n.2).
ship-shape (adj.): "properly arranged," 1640s, originally "according to the fashion of a (sailing) ship," where neatness is a priority and the rigging must be serviceable and stowed properly; from ship (n.) + shape.
shipment (n.): 1802, "act of shipping;" 1861, "that which is shipped;" see ship (v.) + -ment.
shipwreck (n.): mid-15c., from ship (n.) + wreck (n.). Earlier it meant "things cast up from a shipwreck" (c.1100). The earlier word for "shipwreck" in the modern sense was Middle English schipbreke, from Old English scipbryce.
shipwreck (v.): 1580s, from shipwreck (n.). Related: Shipwrecked.
shipyard (n.): c.1700, from ship (n.) + yard (n.1).
Shiraz (n.): wine made in the district of Shiraz, a city in Persia, 1630s. As the name for a red wine made from a type of grape grown in the Rhône valley of France, it is recorded from 1908, from French syrah, the name apparently altered in English on mistaken notion that the grape was brought to Europe from the Middle East by Crusaders.
shire (n.): Old English scir "administrative office or district," from Proto-Germanic *skizo (cf. Old High German scira "care, official charge"). Ousted since 14c. by Anglo-French county (q.v.). The gentrified sense is from The Shires (1796), used by people in other parts of England of those counties that end in -shire; sense transferred to the hunting country of the Midlands (1860).
shirk (v.): 1630s, "to practice fraud or trickery," also a noun (1630s, now obs.) "a disreputable parasite," perhaps from German schurke "scoundrel, rogue, knave, villain" (see shark). Sense of "evade one's work or duty" first recorded 1785, originally in slang. Related: Shirked; shirking.
shirker (n.): 1799, agent noun from shirk.
shirr (v.): "to gather (cloth) on parallel threads," 1892, back-formation from shirred (1847), from shirr (n.) "elastic webbing," of unknown origin.
shirt (n.): Old English scyrte "skirt, tunic," from Proto-Germanic *skurtijon "a short garment" (cf. Old Norse skyrta, Swedish skjorta "skirt, kirtle;" Middle Dutch scorte, Dutch schort "apron;" Middle High German schurz, German Schurz "apron"), from the same source as Old English scort, sceort (see short).

Formerly of garments worn by both sexes, but long in modern use only for men; in reference to women's tops, reintroduced 1896. Shirt-sleeve in reference to "without a coat" first recorded 1560s. Bloody shirt, exposed as a symbol of outrage, is attested from 1580s. To give (someone) the shirt off one's back is from 1771. To lose one's shirt "suffer total financial loss" is from 1935. To keep one's shirt on "be patient" (1904) is from the notion of stripping down for a fight.
shirty (adj.): "ill-tempered," 1846, slang, probably from shirt (n.), on notion of being disheveled in anger.
shish kebab (n.): 1914, from Armenian shish kabab, from Turk. siskebap, from sis "skewer" + kebap "roast meat."
shit (v.): Old English scitan, from Proto-Germanic *skit-, from PIE *skheid- "split, divide, separate." Related to shed (v.) on the notion of "separation" from the body (cf. Latin excrementum, from excernere "to separate"). It is thus a cousin to science and conscience.

Despite what you read in an e-mail, "shit" is not an acronym. The notion that it is a recent word may be because the word was taboo from c.1600 and rarely appeared in print (neither Shakespeare nor the KJV has it), and even in "vulgar" publications of the late 18c. it is disguised by dashes. It drew the wrath of censors as late as 1922 ("Ulysses" and "The Enormous Room"), scandalized magazine subscribers in 1957 (a Hemingway story in "Atlantic Monthly") and was omitted from some dictionaries as recently as 1970 ("Webster's New World").

Extensive slang usage; verb meaning "to lie, to tease" is from 1934; that of "to disrespect" is from 1903. Shat is a humorous past tense form, not etymological, first recorded 18c. Shite, now a jocular or slightly euphemistic variant, formerly a dialectal variant, reflects the vowel in the Old English verb (cf. German scheissen). To shit bricks "be very frightened" attested by 1961. The connection between fear and involuntary defecation has generated expressions since 14c., and probably also is behind scared shitless (1936).
shit (n.): Old English scitte "purging," from source of shit (v.). Sense of "excrement" dates from 1580s. Use for "obnoxious person" is since at least 1508; meaning "misfortune, trouble" is attested from 1937. Shit-faced "drunk" is 1960s student slang; shit list is from 1942. Up shit creek "in trouble" is from 1937. To not give a shit "not care" is from 1922.
The expression [the shit hits the fan] is related to, and may well derive from, an old joke. A man in a crowded bar needed to defecate but couldn't find a bathroom, so he went upstairs and used a hole in the floor. Returning, he found everyone had gone except the bartender, who was cowering behind the bar. When the man asked what had happened, the bartender replied, 'Where were you when the shit hit the fan?' [Hugh Rawson, "Wicked Words," 1989]