What does the word "shawty" mean?

The slang “shawty” it is a popular term you hear a lot lately in lyrics from hit songs like “Get It Shawty” and “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin).” 

The term orginated in Atlanta that, in the beginning, referred to a short person or child. It’s a derivation of "shorty" or "shortie". It has multiple meanings:  

a good friend

a small child

a newcomer

someone shorter than you

 But the most prevalent use, and the one found in these songs, is to describe a girlfriend or particularly attractive woman.

T-Pain (a famous rapper) says he uses the term so much in everyday conversation that it was only natural for him to introduce the word into his music. "It's something that's just real fun to say, like 'homeboy' or 'homey' or any other slang for a friend or girl," he says. It’s no coincidence that T-Pain is from Atlanta.

Although it look likes a derogatory term for women, among the rappers community it’s just a flirty term and girls accept it normally. Rhonda Baraka of the Marietta, Ga.-based media consulting firm Soulstice Media says it's "a term of endearment. There is no lack of negative terms in the hip-hop community as it relates to women, but I don't count this as one of them."

Another song that uses the word “shawty” a lot on the chorus is the song called Shawty by the singer ATL

There's no need to be afraid, of you feel, ooh shawty!

Ooh shawty, Good God Almighty look what we got here!

Vocabulary:

endearment /ɪnˈdɪrmənt/: a word or phrase that you say to someone you love, for example darling or sweetheart

REFERENCES:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-08-05-shawty_N.htm

http://www.vagalume.com.br/atl/shawty.html#ixzz1V7mW6lOC

by Vivian Barone