skittish adj.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shoot, chase, throw."

It forms all or part of: scot-free; scout (v.2) "to reject with scorn;" sheet (n.1) "cloth, covering;" sheet (n.2) "rope that controls a sail;" shoot; shot; shout; shut; shuttle; skeet; wainscot.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit skundate "hastens, makes haste;" Old Church Slavonic iskydati "to throw out;" Lithuanian skudrus "quick, nimble;" Old English sceotan "to hurl missiles," Old Norse skjota "to shoot with (a weapon)."

1820, "piece of light satire or caricature, lampoon," from the earlier sense of "a satirical remark or reflection" (1727), which apparently is from an earlier still sense of "a light wench; a vain, frivolous, or wanton girl" (1570s, originally Scottish, now archaic).

This is said to be from or related to a verb skit "go off suddenly; shy or be skittish" (1610s), which is of uncertain origin, perhaps ultimately from Old Norse skjuta "to shoot, move quickly," cognate of Old English sceotan (see shoot (v.)), or perhaps it is a back-formation from skittish.

"to run rapidly," 1845, frequentative of skite "to dart, run quickly" (1721), perhaps from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse skjota "to shoot, launch, move quickly, avoid" a blow; Norwegian dialectal skutla "glide rapidly"); see skittish and compare skit. Related: Skittered; skittering. As a noun from 1905.