shrug

Etymology

From Middle English schruggen, shrukken, probably of North Germanic origin related to Danish skrugge, skrukke (“to stoop; crouch”), Swedish skruga, skrukka (“to huddle; crouch”), all from or related to Old Norse skrykkva, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Compare also Old English scrincan (“to shrink”). More at shrink.

noun

1. A lifting of the shoulders to signal indifference or a casual lack of knowledge.
   He dismissed my comment with a shrug.
2. A cropped, cardigan-like garment with short or long sleeves, typically knitted.

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive) To raise (the shoulders) to express uncertainty, lack of concern, (formerly) dread, etc.
   I asked him for an answer and he just shrugged.
   When he saw the problem, he just shrugged and started fixing it.