From Proto-Germanic*skattaz(“cattle, treasure”), from Proto-Indo-European*skat-(“to jump, hop, splash out”). Cognate with Old Frisian skett ‘money, cattle’, Old Saxon skat, Dutch schat, Old High German scaz (German Schatz(“treasure”)), Old Norse skattr (Danish skat, Norwegian skatt), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐍄𐍄𐍃(skatts), Russian скот(skot, “cattle”).