means Short trousers that stop at or above the knee, worn for sport, heat, or leisure.

from A plain English word: "short" comes from Old English sceort, meaning cut off or lacking length — possibly related to the same root that gives us "shear" and "shirt," all circling the idea of something cut. "Shorts" as a noun for the garment is the trousers' clipped self made literal: trousers shortened, then named for their shortness. Once just "short trousers" or "short pants," the adjective broke free and became the thing itself.