'shoot' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'scēotan', where the Proto-Germanic root '*skutaną' meant 'to shoot, to throw'.

'shoot' changed from Old English 'scēotan' (and related Old Norse/Germanic forms) into Middle English forms such as 'shot'/'shote' and eventually became the modern English word 'shoot'.

Initially, it meant 'to propel or send out (an object) quickly' (for example, to shoot an arrow); over time it broadened to include related senses such as 'to fire a gun', 'to take a photograph', and various figurative uses.