The act of firing a weapon or taking photographs; moving rapidly or suddenly. Present participle of shoot.
From Old English 'sceotan' meaning 'to project, shoot forth'. Related to German 'schießen' and Dutch 'schieten'. The word originally described any rapid projection but specialized for weapons, then expanded to photography and other rapid actions.
The metaphor of 'shooting' a photograph brilliantly captures the split-second precision required for both activities. Both involve aiming, timing, and capturing a moment - whether with a bullet or with light hitting film.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.