shorty

or short·ie

[ shawr-tee ]

noun

, plural short·ies.

1. a person of less than average stature (sometimes used as a disparaging and offensive term of address).
2. a garment designed to be of short length, as a hospital bed jacket.
3. Also shaw·ty []. Slang.
   1. a girl or woman:

      We watched the shorties on the dance floor, all lookin' so fine.

   2. a girlfriend or sweetheart:

      Me and my shorty went to that new club over on Ninth last night; what a scene!

adjective

1. noting a garment designed to be of short length:

   a shorty nightgown; shorty pajamas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shorty¹

First recorded in 1905–10; short + -y ²

Example Sentences

Known as El Chapo, or Shorty, because of his height, he had been extradited to the U.S. to face trial after twice escaping prison in Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times

Zollar’s choreography could be described similarly, drawing on vernacular dances of the time — the Shorty George, the Suzy Q — but pushing them in new directions.

From New York Times

Screenwriter Scott Frank emerged as a master of snappy banter in the ’90s when he adapted crime novelist Elmore Leonard’s witty stories “Get Shorty” and “Out of Sight.”

From Los Angeles Times

Later’ in that way that means ‘See you later to rip your tongue out of your head, shorty.’

From Literature

Shorty is ready to ask: Why is so much being spent on a truck?

From Seattle Times