A Work Shift Comes From Changing Places
To shift is to move something. A shift at work is named from the idea of one group replacing another.
To shift is to move something from one position to another. A work *shift* is named from the changeover: one team shifts out and another shifts in, so the word names the relief rather than the hours. Industrial factories that ran continuously needed the concept and the word followed. *Shift* also names a plain straight dress, and in old English a shift was an undergarment. *Make shift* gives *makeshift*, something improvised.
- To move. *Shift the table.*
- A work period. *The night shift.*
- A change. *A shift in policy.*
- A straight dress. *A shift dress.*
- Old English — *sciftan*, to arrange. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | shift | Shift it. |
| Past | shifted | Shifted. |
| Noun | shift | A shift. |
| Adjective | shifty | Shifty. |
| Compound | makeshift | Makeshift. |
- Help me shift the sofa.Move.
- She works the night shift.Work.
- There has been a shift in opinion.Change.
Shift in different contexts
- Work — a period of duty, named from the changeover
- Typing — the shift key raises to capitals
- Driving — to change gear, American usage
- Clothing — a plain straight dress, once an undergarment
- Makeshift — improvised, from *make shift*, to manage somehow
Old English *sciftan*, to arrange or divide, of Germanic origin; the sense of moving developed in Middle English.
Why is a work period called a shift?
From the changeover: one team shifts out and another shifts in, so the word names the relief rather than the hours.
What does makeshift mean?
Improvised or temporary, from the old phrase make shift, meaning to manage somehow with what is available.