(used in the plural) trousers that end at or above the knee
"She packed her swimsuit and a pair of denim shorts for the beach trip."
underpants worn by men
"He quickly pulled on his boxers before slipping into the shorts for the swim."
plural of short
"I packed a pair of athletic shorts for my morning jog since it was such a hot day."
pants or trousers worn for sports or in warmer weather that do not go lower than the knees.
In plain English: Shorts are pants that end above the knee.
"He put on his favorite denim shorts before heading to the beach."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of short
"She does not want to be late for the meeting, so she will hurry up and finish her presentation."
In plain English: To shorts something means to cut it into small pieces.
"Please don't short me on the payment for my work."
The word shorts is simply a plural form of short, created by adding an s to indicate multiple items of lower-body clothing. It entered English as a direct adaptation of the existing adjective rather than through any foreign influence or complex historical shift.