'short-staffed' originates from the combination of 'short' and 'staffed', where 'short' meant 'lacking' and 'staffed' referred to the number of employees or workers.

'Short-staffed' evolved from the concept of having a 'short' or insufficient number of 'staff' members, becoming a common term in modern English to describe workforce shortages.

Initially, it meant 'lacking in staff numbers', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.